Thousands of festive travellers and hauliers are facing severe disruption and long queues at the Port of Dover this morning after a critical IT failure at the French border brought pre-Christmas crossings to a standstill.
System Failure Creates 'Absolute Chaos'
The disruption began in the early hours of Friday 20 December 2025, with images from the port showing miles of stationary traffic. One frustrated traveller caught in the gridlock described the scene as "absolute chaos".
The root cause has been identified as a major IT system issue on the French side, which is responsible for processing border checks for vehicles entering the Eurotunnel and ferry systems. This technical glitch has severely slowed the processing of all traffic, leading to the extensive backlog.
Freight Operations Suspended
The impact has been felt across both passenger and commercial traffic. P&O Ferries Freight confirmed the severity of the situation, announcing on social media platform X that they had been forced to take drastic action.
"Due to system issues at freight check-in, we have temporarily suspended freight check-in operations," the company stated just after 12:30 PM. They added that teams are "working to resolve this as quickly as possible" and promised further updates.
Christmas Getaways Thrown Into Disarray
The timing of the failure could hardly be worse, occurring on one of the busiest travel days before the Christmas holiday. Drivers who had hoped to get an early start on their journeys to mainland Europe are now facing indefinite waits.
The consequences of the French border IT failure are wide-ranging:
- Lengthy delays for families embarking on Christmas holidays.
- Significant disruption to the supply chain, with freight vehicles unable to cross.
- Potential knock-on effects for holiday schedules and UK border operations throughout the day.
Authorities are urging patience as engineers work to restore the critical systems. Passengers booked to travel from Dover are advised to check directly with their ferry operator for the latest information before setting out.
