Britain and France ‘put up a plan’ to prevent border travel chaos

Britain and France announced they had planned to prevent chaos at the border.

In a joint statement Friday, Phil Douglas, Director General of Border Force and Brigitte Lafourcade, Deputy Superintendent of Aux Frontieres Police said the two countries are “working closely” to support smooth traffic flow. .

It comes after tens of thousands of families saw their cross-Channel journey ruined last weekend by congested traffic and delays of several hours, attributed to a lack of French border guards. and a fatal crash on the M20 to coincide with school holidays.

Mr. Douglas and Ms. Lafourcade said: “France and the UK have worked closely together in recent days to prepare for the management of our common border during this period of increased passenger traffic.

“Both Aux Frontieres Police and UK Border Force, in partnership with port operators, have planned to implement adjoining controls on both sides of the Channel this weekend to maximize passenger flow.

“France and the UK will continue to work extensively to support the mobility of goods and passengers on the Channel through the summer period and beyond.”

The Cabinet Office earlier said on Friday that British and French officials had regular discussions this week about the travel turmoil.

They have now established a new “Anglo-French Passenger Technical Working Group”, which will meet weekly throughout the summer to prevent further disruption to passengers traveling to either side of the Channel.

Traffic enforcement has also been implemented to keep roads passable around Dover and Folkestone, the Cabinet Office said.

Earlier, on Friday, several major roads across the UK were congested, affecting holidaymakers heading south and south-west of England.

This is due to a combination of the first transition dates for allowable school holidays in England and Wales, a rail strike, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and start of the Football League season in England.

AA issued its first “amber traffic alert” on Friday and for Saturday between 11am and 3pm.

Most of the M25 roads are congested while the M5 going southwest is starting to stop traffic.

Traffic also moves slowly on the westbound sections of the M4 heading towards Bristol, the M55/M6 junction near Preston, Lancashire, the M42 east of Birmingham, the M60 and M62 in Manchester and the A64 into York.

However, fears of a repeat of last week’s horrendous delays on the roads approaching Port Dover and Folkestone have proven unfounded.

At Dover and Folkstone, operations were much smoother on Friday, with P&O Ferries saying “no queues at border checkpoints and free traffic through the port”.

Port of Dover chief executive Doug Bannister said on Thursday that French border control agencies would be “fully resourced”, which would make a “fundamental difference”.

The port is expected to handle about 140,000 passengers, 45,000 cars and 18,000 freight vehicles from Thursday to Sunday.

National Highways, the UK’s main road and motorway regulator, said: “Drivers commuting in and around Kent should plan ahead as this weekend is likely to be extremely busy.

“Operation Brock’s backflow remains on the M20 and is part of a series of measures aimed at improving Kent’s resilience and ensuring smooth traffic flow in the region in the event of outbreaks. service on the English Channel is interrupted.”

Jack Cousens, AA’s head of road policy, said: “While heavy traffic like this is a disappointment for many, those working for UK tourism should be delighted. there are many people who want to stay at home and discover the best that England has to offer. .

“One bright light is Southeast, where both Dover and Folkestone have had little or no delay.

“However, tomorrow will be even busier, so drivers planning to hit the road need to be prepared for the traffic to stop to begin.