Roads are expected to be busy and ferry passengers have been warned of queues at Dover as people head away for the bank holiday weekend.
Drivers across the UK are expected to make 19.2 million leisure car trips between Friday and Monday, according to estimates from the RAC, with the hottest day of the year so far forecast on Sunday.
Journeys on some stretches of the M25 could take up to three times longer than normal, transport data company Inrix has warned.
Long delays are also expected on the M5 in Somerset and the M6 in Cheshire and Greater Manchester.
Ferry passengers through Dover are being advised to allow two hours to complete border controls and check-in.
DFDS ferry company tweeted: “Please be prepared with refreshments & use facilities before arriving at the port.”
The Port of Dover said delays at French border control were due to “IT issues” with “high volumes of tourist and freight traffic on Port approaches”.
A traveller in the queue at Dover told Sky News they believed the “sticking point was French frontier control”.
“Once we got past that, inside Dover moved really well,” they added.
The RAC said it was expecting the busiest weekend of traffic since before the pandemic.
“Getting away early in the morning or delaying trips until the evening are the best way to avoid the inevitable delays,” spokesman Rod Dennis said.
While holidaymakers face the prospect of long queues, those staying at home for the long weekend should enjoy some of the hottest weather of the year.
Southeast Wales and around the Bristol Channel will get the best of the weather, with temperatures up to 24C on Saturday and Sunday.
Other parts of the UK could see temperatures reaching the high teens and low 20s.
The dry and bright weather is likely to continue for most with little rain expected throughout next week during half term.
The Port of Dover has announced an end to its critical incident following a weekend of travel chaos which saw some coach passengers caught up in 14-hour-long queues.
The port declared a critical incident on Friday with coaches particularly affected by the traffic as passengers – including school pupils – waited to be processed at border controls.
Those hoping to get away for their Easter break on Sunday night faced a few more hours waiting to be processed at border controls before getting on a ferry.
But in its latest statement on Monday morning, the port said all coach traffic had now been processed through immigration controls.
“The critical incident has been stood down,” the port said in its statement.
“The Port of Dover continued working round the clock with the ferry operators and border agencies to get coach passengers on their way and the backlog is now cleared.
“Along with the final coaches being processed through the port, all tourist cars and freight vehicles were also processed successfully.
“We continue to offer our sincere apologies to all those affected by the prolonged delays that have occurred over this weekend.”
A “full review” will now be launched by the port to ensure “improvements are made” ahead of Easter weekend – typically one of the busiest travel days of the year in the UK.
On Monday, P&O Ferries also announced that a buffer zone – set up to control traffic entering the port – had been cleared.
P&O Ferries previously advised coach drivers to head straight to the port to wait in buffer zone queues, where advance passenger information (AP) would be taken, and warned there could be a 10-hour wait.
“All coaches that have just passed border control will be on the next crossing to Calais. We apologise again for the wait times experienced in Dover this weekend,” the company said in a statement.
Is Brexit a factor?
On Sunday, Home Secretary Suella Braverman denied Brexit was the main reason for the queues.
Speaking to Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday, she said: “I don’t think that is fair to say that this is an adverse effect of Brexit.
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‘Situation improving’ in Dover
“I think we have seen we have had many years now since leaving the European Union and there’s been, on the whole, very good cooperation and processes.
“But at acute times, when there’s a lot of pressure crossing the Channel whether the tunnel or the ferries, then I think there’s always going to be a backup.
“And I just urge everyone to be a bit patient while the ferry companies work their way through the backlog.”
The home secretary also downplayed fears that delays at Dover could become a regular occurrence that risks ruining school holiday plans, suggesting things have been “operating very smoothly at the border” in general.
But Conservative MP and former minister Sir Robert Buckland suggested Brexit had played a part in the disruption.
He said: “I think for my layman’s eye, looking on, it does seem that there’s a confluence of issues.
“I think that there’s no doubt that some of the increased checks that now are necessary since we left the EU will be a part of that.
Image: Sir Robert Buckland
“I think it’s all the authorities on both sides of the channel, both the French and the British authorities, have to work even harder to make sure that those short straits are working as effectively as possible at times of maximum pressure.”
Conservative MP for Bournemouth East, Tobias Ellwood, also blamed Brexit. In a Tweet, he wrote: “Of course, it’s connected to Brexit.
“Our current Brexit model resulted in an end to travel freedoms. But as they weren’t replaced with new ones – processing takes longer – hence the delays.
“To compound matters – in November fingerprint scans begin. Hence we need a Brexit upgrade.”
‘Carnage’
Extra sailings were run over the weekend in a bid to clear the backlog, but by Sunday morning the port still estimated some travellers would face waits of up to eight hours, depending on the ferry operator.
The port had previously declared a critical incident and said the delays were “due to lengthy French border processes and sheer volume”.
Port officials said they had been “working round the clock” with ferry operators and border agencies to try to get coach passengers on their way and more than 300 coaches left the port on Saturday, while the freight backlog was cleared and tourist cars had been successfully processed.
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Image: Coach and lorries waiting for French border checks on Saturday
One passenger, Rosie Pearson, described the travel scenes in Dover on Saturday as “carnage” as she was stuck for 16 hours with her husband and two teenagers.
The 50-year-old environmental campaigner from Essex was travelling to Val d’Isere in the French Alps on an overnight bus.
‘It didn’t need to be this way’
Shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy said “a range of factors” have caused the delays, but said the government had not planned for what was going to happen post-Brexit.
She told Sophy Ridge On Sunday that ministers had “known for a very long time that they needed to make sure that there were resources in place to deal with additional paperwork checks”.
“The point is not whether we left the European Union or not. The point was that we left with a government that made big promises and once again didn’t deliver,” she said.
“I really feel for the families that are trying to get away for an Easter break, people who have been caught up in this chaos, people whose livelihoods are threatened.
“It didn’t need to be this way. If the government got a grip, got down to brass tacks and started doing their actual job, all these things could be avoided.”
The firebombing of an immigration centre in Dover was motivated by a terrorist ideology, Counter Terrorism Policing South East has said, citing recovered evidence.
Andrew Leak, 66, from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, is believed to have killed himself after throwing two or three “crude” incendiary devices at the Western Jet Foil site, in Kent, last Sunday.
The counter terror police said a number of “significant witnesses” have been spoken to and a number of items of interest have been recovered.
“Evidence from examining these items suggests there was an extreme right wing motivation behind the attack,” a spokesperson said.
Kent Police said “two to three incendiary devices” were thrown at the centre by “a single suspect who arrived at the scene in a car”.
Two people suffered minor injuries and the suspect was later found dead at a nearby petrol station, the force added.
Tim Jacques, senior national co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said: “Assessing when this crosses the terrorism threshold is a complex process and needs to be carefully considered on a case-by-case basis.
“These decisions need to be determined by the facts, as far as they can be established at any given time.
“After considering the evidence collected so far in this case, whilst there are strong indications that mental health was likely a factor, I am satisfied that the suspect’s actions were primarily driven by an extremist ideology.
“This meets the threshold for a terrorist incident.”
Counter Terrorism Police are now leading the investigation into the death of a suspect after petrol bombs were thrown at the Border Force immigration centre in Dover.
The incident, which happened at around 11.20am on Sunday, saw devices thrown outside and into the premises by 66-year-old Andrew Leak from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, who arrived at the scene alone in a car.
Police say they believe the attack was because of “some form of hate filled grievance”.
Mr Leak’s car was found near the scene. He was dead inside. Two staff members from the centre sustained minor injuries.
Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said its detectives had been “working hard to establish the exact circumstances, including the motivation surrounding this incident” and had been following “a number of lines of enquiry”.
Image: The fire at the Border Force centre following the attack
A search was carried out at a property in the High Wycombe area and “a number of items of interest were recovered, including digital media devices,” Thames Valley police said, adding there was “currently nothing to suggest the man involved was working alongside anyone else”.
Detective Chief Superintendent Olly Wright, Head of CTPSE, said the attack on the centre had been a “traumatic incident for everyone involved, and the wider community”.
‘Despicable offence’
He added: “We understand that when counter terrorism policing become involved, it can be worrying for some people, but I would like to reassure people that there is nothing to suggest any ongoing wider threat at this time.
“What appears clear is that this despicable offence was targeted and likely to be driven by some form of hate filled grievance, though this may not necessarily meet the threshold of terrorism.
“At this point, the incident itself has not been declared a terrorist incident, but this is being kept under review as the investigation progresses.”
Following the incident on Sunday, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit was called to ensure there were no further threats.
The centre is where people arriving into Dover via small boats are taken for the first stage of their asylum processing.
A total of 700 people were moved to the Manston centre in Kent, around 20 miles away, for safety reasons.
A UK-French taskforce has been set up to tackle travel chaos in Kent after holidaymakers spent hours in gridlocked traffic trying to cross the Channel last weekend.
The Passenger Working Group has been established to minimise queue times and avoid further disruption for people travelling to either side of the border.
The group will meet weekly throughout the summer to avoid a repeat of scenes last Saturday, when families reported being stuck at the Port of Dover for up to 11 hours due to heavy congestion.
It follows a row over who is to blame for the huge tailbacks building up at both Dover and the Eurotunnel entrance at Folkestone, which has been dubbed the “hotspot of holiday hell”.
The UK has said there are not enough French border officers on duty to process British travellers, while the French say Brexit means passport checks take longer.
Authorities from both countries met this week to discuss the preparations being put in place to ease further disruption, which includes extra traffic enforcement to keep roads passable around Dover and Folkestone.
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Traffic leading to Port of Dover
The taskforce is part of a package of measures to ease travel disruption after the start of the summer holidays was marred by rail strikes, flight cancellations and border delays.
The AA has issued an “amber” traffic warning for this weekend – the first time it has issued the alert ahead of time.
Roads are expected to be “extremely busy” across Britain due to a combination of factors including train strikes, the start of the English Football League season, the Commonwealth Games and summer holiday getaways.
To ensure people can still easily get to the Commonwealth Games, the government said contingency measures have been put in place, including extra capacity on rail lines that are running and laying on coaches for spectators.
Ministers said flight cancellations have also recently fallen back to their 2019 levels after slot rules were relaxed to help airlines make sensible decisions about their schedule.
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The government has faced criticism for not doing enough to get a grip on the chaos, with authorities in Kent calling for more money to handle the disruption.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and lead minister for resilience Kit Malthouse said: “I am working with ministers and officials right across government, as well as our partners and industry, to assess and mitigate any disruption, including any knock on effects from the rail strikes.
“We have already taken action, and continue to work with the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel, and the French government, National Highways, local police and the Kent Resilience Forum on minimising traffic disruption, and also with our airport operators to avoid last minute cancellations, and we will continue to take all the necessary steps to help people travel easily.”
Traffic into the Port of Dover is returning to normal following days of queueing for France-bound travellers.
The port said on Twitter that, as at 2.15am on Sunday, the system brought in temporarily to handle traffic had ended, and that freight traffic was now able to travel straight to the site.
It added that tourist traffic was also “clear” and the approach roads – the A2 and A20 – “are flowing normally”.
Travellers setting out at the start of the British school summer holidays, as well as the usual flow of goods lorries, had faced long delays because of slow border checks.
The UK government had blamed a shortage of French border staff, and the French government had argued that passport checks were taking longer now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union.
On Friday, 8,500 cars were processed, but by lunchtime on Saturday, the number processed had already reached more than 17,000.
One family with three children in the car told Sky News they were stuck for nearly 11 hours, while another said they had been queueing for three hours, but they still had a long way to reach border control.
Natalie Chapman from haulier group Logistics UK said some lorry drivers had waited “in excess of 18 hours” to cross the Channel.
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French regional prefect Georges-François Leclerc was asked by BFM TV if French customs officers were to blame for the delays seen on Friday and Saturday.
He said they were not, adding: “The Port of Dover, which is a private port, found it easier to blame the French police.”
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who is competing to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister, said: “This is a situation that has been caused by a lack of resource at the border.
“That is what the French authorities need to address and that is what I’m being very clear with them about.”
Anneliese Dodds, Labour Party chair, said the government had failed “to get a grip” on the problem, labelling it “chaos”.
Holidaymakers are stuck in long queues heading into the Port of Dover – with French immigration being blamed for causing a “critical incident”.
The delays are “in excess of four hours”, P&O Ferries said, adding: “Please arrive prepared for a prolonged wait. Carry snacks and additional water with you.”
One traveller said they were moving “50 metres per hour”, tweeting: “At this rate it’ll be 34 hours before I get to the port!”
Another said: “Sat in lanes waiting to get to border control. Zero movement.”
The port said “woefully inadequate” French staffing was to blame for “major disruption” and a “critical incident” had been declared.
Its chief executive, Doug Bannister, told Sky News: “The cause of it is French immigration controls.
“We’ve been let down this morning despite the planning of the last several months to get ready for this day.”
The port said it had shared predicted traffic volumes with the French authorities “in granular detail” as it prepared for the summer holiday season.
Mr Bannister added: “This is causing major disruption. French border controls are not properly staffed.”
Foreign Office minister Graham Stuart agreed with the port’s assessment, telling Sky News the “French authorities” were to blame and it was not a “Border Force problem”.
The French have added “three additional booths”, he said, and “by yesterday morning, they had two of the three up and running”.
The transport secretary and French ambassador have both been involved, Mr Stuart said.
Image: People are queuing for several hours
In a long statement, the port said it had “worked so hard in good faith” with local and government partners over the course of several months as it prepared for the “busy summer”.
It added: “We are deeply frustrated that the resource at the French border overnight and early this morning has been woefully inadequate to meet our predicted demand.”
Dover said it had “trained a new team of passenger champions to be on hand and assist customers at the port”.
It went on: “We know that resource is finite, but the popularity of Dover is not a surprise.
“Regrettably, the Police Aux Frontieres (PAF) resource has been insufficient and has fallen far short of what is required to ensure a smooth first weekend of the peak summer getaway period.”
The port said it was stressing the “importance of adequate French border resource for the coming days and weeks on which we had previously been assured”.
It concluded: “We have to work as a team.”
Roads to watch for delays over the weekend
M25 anticlockwise Junction 4 Bromley to Dartford
M4 eastbound Junction 30 Cardiff East to Junction 24 for the A449 Monmouth
M25 anticlockwise Junction 17 Maple Cross to Junction 12 for the M3
A303 westbound past Stonehenge
M25 clockwise Junction 7 M23 to Junction 16 for the M40
M5 southbound Junction 15 Almondsbury Interchange to Junction 23 for the A38 Bridgwater
M25 anticlockwise Junction 17 Maple Cross to Junction 12 for the M3
Source: RAC
Elsewhere, a “slow-moving convoy” has joined the M5 in a protest against high fuel prices, police have said.
The Avon and Somerset force said a “protest convoy of about 10 vehicles” had entered the motorway northbound at J24 for Bridgwater.
Police warned previously that the M4 and M32 could also be affected.
Fuel Price Stand Against Tax, a Facebook group with 53,000 members, shared a post suggesting activists will assemble “nationwide” to make their voices heard.
Protests are planned in Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, London and Manchester.
