The Port of Dover has issued a warning that ferry passengers heading to Europe may face waiting times of up to two hours as the bank holiday getaway commences alongside the introduction of new European Union border checks. The port is preparing for an influx of 18,000 travellers between Friday and Sunday, with the busiest periods each day expected between 6am and approximately 1pm.
Busiest Day of the Year
Saturday is anticipated to be the port’s busiest day of the year so far, with more than 8,000 travellers passing through. In a traffic update posted at 11:30am on Friday, the port indicated that people faced a 120-minute wait to clear French border and security checks, in addition to queues on approach roads that could further extend waiting times.
EU Entry-Exit System (EES)
This is the first holiday period since the implementation of the EU’s entry-exit system (EES). Under EES, travellers from third-party countries such as the UK must have their fingerprints registered and a photograph taken to enter the Schengen Area, which comprises 29 European countries, predominantly within the EU. However, the Port of Dover stated that the full system is not yet operational for cars, as the French technology is still awaiting delivery and installation. Consequently, French border police are manually creating traveller records at the eastern docks.
Travel Advice
Passengers are advised to use main road routes to the port, arrive no earlier than two hours before departure, and ensure they have a confirmed booking and all travel documents ready. Travellers are also urged to prepare for potential delays by bringing food and water. Anyone who misses their ferry due to disruption will be transferred to the next available sailing.
Road and Rail Disruption
The AA has estimated that 23.4 million car journeys will take place on Friday, highlighting likely traffic blackspots including routes towards east coast destinations such as Skegness, the M4 from London towards Wales, and the M6 towards the north-west coast. The RAC expects leisure traffic to peak on Friday and Saturday. Meanwhile, strike action and engineering work will cause disruption on several railway routes. Walkouts by Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association members on Friday and Saturday in a pay dispute will affect West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway services, with timetables slashed on both days, including no West Midlands Trains after 7pm on Friday or before 7am on Saturday. Network Rail engineering work will close parts of key intercity lines, including the East Coast Main Line between York and Darlington from Saturday to Monday, and bus replacements between Newport and Bristol Parkway from Saturday for two weeks. No Thameslink services will run through central London between Saturday and Monday, affecting services to Gatwick and Luton airports.
Holiday Surge
Travel trade organisation Abta reported a surge in families heading off on holiday this weekend, marking the start of half-term breaks for many schools. Strong demand has been noted for short-haul sunshine holidays in destinations such as mainland Spain, Italy, the Balearic and Canary Islands, and Portugal, as well as city breaks in Milan, Nice, and Barcelona. Parking app company RingGo said its analysis of recent bank holiday periods found that Saturday is likely to be the busiest day at coastal towns and cities like Bournemouth, Hastings, and Torquay, with seaside towns consistently outperforming inland locations in terms of parking sessions.
Weather Forecast
The Met Office has forecast a heatwave in some parts of the country this weekend, with temperatures set to peak on Monday at 33°C in southern England and the Midlands.
