The Port of Dover has done “absolutely everything” to prepare for the summer getaway amid fears of more delays from new EU border checks, its boss said.
Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Kent port, said it was “very disappointing” a new Entry Exit System (EES) processing facility – built as part of a £40m investment – was not being used for cars because the technology had not been activated.
EES, rolled out fully in April, involves passengers having their fingerprints registered and photograph taken to enter the Schengen Area.
The port declared a “critical incident” in May half-term after waiting times reached four-and-a-half hours on a day with about 8,500 outbound vehicles.
For most UK travellers, the process happens at foreign airports, but it is also carried out at the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel’s Folkestone terminal and London St Pancras railway station, which all have juxtaposed border controls.
Bannister recently told MPs the port would “face repeated episodes of severe congestion” this summer unless the EU permits more flexibility in EES, which had not happened.
Most schools in England and Wales break up for the summer holidays at the end of this week or early next week, while the academic year has already ended in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The Port of Dover expects to have about 7,500 outbound cars on Friday, rising to nearly 10,000 on Saturday.
The end of next week will be even busier, with about 10,500 outbound cars on both 24 and 25 July.
It was previously hoped many of these would complete their EES registrations at the new Western Docks facility, which is equipped with 84 kiosks to record biometric details.
But the French authorities have not switched the kiosks on, and no date has been set for when that will happen.
‘Disappointing’
“We delivered our Western Docks facility after investing £40m of our capital,” said Bannister.
“We were under constant pressure to have it be operational, pursuant to the timeline that was EES, and it’s been specifically designed to handle our peak volumes safely and efficiently, and we can’t use it.
“It is very disappointing.”
Holidaymakers are being urged to use only main roads when driving to the port, and arrive no more than two hours before their booked sailing.
Since May, the port has installed new border positions in its ferry terminal, and the French authorities have agreed to its suggested resource requirements.
Bannister said: “We’ve done absolutely everything that we can… in preparing for the summer.
“But there are still a lot of unknowns and uncertainties around how the EES process will affect travel.”
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander recently met French counterpart Phillippe Tabarot to call for a pragmatic approach to EES checks.
Bannister said she had “leaned in personally on trying to get the messages clear”.
Some £20m of new government funding was announced by the Department for Transport on Monday to boost infrastructure in Kent to reduce delays.
This is on top of a previous £10.5m investment shared by the three English sites with juxtaposed border controls.
Additional reporting by PA Media.
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