The festive travel plans of tens of thousands of people have been thrown into chaos after a technical failure with French border control systems caused significant delays at the Port of Dover. The disruption comes at the start of what is predicted to be the UK's busiest ever Christmas getaway on the roads.
Border System Breakdown at Critical Time
On Saturday morning, just as the peak of pre-Christmas traffic was arriving, border staff at Dover began experiencing major IT issues. The port confirmed the ongoing problems in a statement on social media platform X. The technical glitch is understood to be with the French border control infrastructure, a critical part of the check-in process for cross-Channel ferry services.
The Port of Dover stated it was working closely with partner agencies to resolve the situation as swiftly as possible. In the meantime, they issued urgent advice to passengers, urging them not to arrive more than two hours before their scheduled ferry departure time to help manage congestion.
Record Road Traffic Meets Port Queues
The port issues coincide with an unprecedented surge in road traffic across the country. The RAC has estimated that a staggering 37.5 million leisure trips by car are planned between Wednesday and Christmas Eve. At Dover alone, nearly 30,000 cars were expected to travel out during the festive period, with traffic peaking between 6am and 1pm from Friday to Sunday.
Travel experts are warning motorists to prepare for severe congestion. Nick Mullender, the RAC's mobile servicing and repairs team leader, cautioned that journeys have "the potential to be Grinch-worthy without some careful planning," noting that 2025 is looking to be the busiest getaway period since their records began.
Ferry Operators and Road Authorities Respond
P&O Ferries, one of the major operators from the port, reported large queues on approach roads and in buffer areas. However, the company confirmed that once through the initial bottlenecks, passengers were experiencing a smooth check-in process with no delays on the sailing side. They joined the port in advising customers to allow considerable extra time for their journeys.
In a bid to ease the nationwide pressure, National Highways announced it would remove as many roadworks as safely possible from England's motorways and major A roads to facilitate smoother travel. The AA's expert patrolperson, Shaun Jones, offered succinct advice: "It's beginning to look a lot like traffic. Our advice is simple: plan ahead, check your route and allow extra time. Patience will be your best present this year."
The Port of Dover also made a specific request to traffic, asking all port-bound vehicles to remain on the main A20 and A2 roads and to avoid clogging local community routes. They assured travellers that if customers missed their scheduled sailing due to the extended wait times, their ferry operator would place them on the next available crossing.
