A huge IT failure has sparked delays for thousands of Easter travellers after manual passport checks were introduced. Massive queues were seen at the Port of Dover today after passengers from the UK were told to expect delays of up to an hour. Officials were having to check passports manually following the French IT failure. A statement from The Dover Harbour Board said: “Tourist traffic is experiencing delays of up to one hour due to IT issues at French border control. Safe travels, everyone!”
They previously said it was a 45 minute wait but the time has now increased. Some unhappy passengers took to social media to reply to the statement. One said: “45 minutes and counting – nowhere near the booth at the moment.” Another confirmed they would miss their sailing, adding: “A fairer approach to traffic management would be nice seeing as only 2 lanes are moving! Try sending the 2 left lanes for a while please – we arrived in plenty of time and are going to miss our sailing.”
The delays come after National Highways has introduced traffic management system Operation Brock in Kent ahead of the hectic Easter period. Narrow lanes and a reduced 50mph speed limit have been implemented to try and help manage traffic flows on the M20 motorway in case of delays at the Channel ports. The scheme covers a 13-mile stretch of the motorway between Junction 8 for Maidstone and Junction 9 for Ashford. A staggering 19.1million people are due to take to the raods on Good Friday as many start their Easter getaway.
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