Summer holiday travel chaos as Brits face busiest day on roads TODAY & huge airport queues as Dover nightmare continues | The Sun
BRITS are being plunged into MORE travel chaos today as millions of families set off on their summer holidays.
Passengers were met with huge airport queues first thing whiletransport bosses warned drivers face the "busiest day" for traffic on the roads.
The chaos at Dover is also set to worsen from yesterday, when a "critical incident" was declared and holidaymakers were told to arrive six hours early for ferry queues lasting up to five hours.
This morning, Bristol Airport saw hundreds of passengers snake around its terminals before 4.30am, while queues for flights piled into Heathrow and Gatwick first thing.
Transport bosses also warned drivers to expect more "delays and disruption" than yesterday.
At least 3,000 lorries were parked up on the M20 waiting to head to the port of Dover and Channel Tunnel terminal this morning.
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And Doug Bannister, Dover port's chief executive, said some 10,000 cars are expected to be processed going out of the port on Saturday – up on Friday's figure.
Asked if there could be five to six-hour delays for people at the port again on Saturday, he told BBC Radio 4 Today: "It could be. We were expecting that today was going to be a busier day than yesterday.
"Yesterday we processed about 8,500 cars going out. Today we were predicted to be around 10,000 so it is going to be a very busy day down here."
It means the M20 coastbound is closed to non-freight traffic between just junctions 8 at Maidstone and junction 12 at Folkestone.
And with most schools in England and Wales breaking up for summer this week, the RAC said an estimated 18.8million trips are planned in the UK between Friday and Monday.
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That's the most since the company began tracking summer getaway numbers in 2014.
And Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: "As the schools closed their doors fully yesterday, Saturday could prove busier still this weekend.
"Drivers should continue to expect disruption and delays on major holiday routes to the south-west, eastern coast and ports of Dover and Folkestone.
"While many have decided to go at the start of the summer holidays, between now and the beginning of September when schools return, each Friday and Saturday will be busy on our roads.
"This is because these are the main switchover days for holiday lets."
According to the RAC, the worst time to hit the roads today is between 11am and 3pm.
It has also urged drivers to avoid travelling between 11am and 6pm on Sunday.
Yesterday, ferry operator P&O Ferries told passengers to allow at least five hours to clear the approach roads and security checks.
And the company said on Friday evening it expects Saturday to be "just as busy".
It came as those hoping to cross the channel reported five-hour queues for border checks, with cars pictured back-to-back for miles outside Dover.
Doug Bannister said "woefully inadequate" staffing was to blame for the "major disruption".
He said staff were focused on tackling the "critical bottleneck" around the port today but could not promise the chaos would be gone by Saturday.
The delays meant tourist and freight traffic were stuck for hours on gridlocked roads in the area.
And P&O Ferries warned passengers to arrive six hours early for their boats.
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A notice on the company's Twitter read: "Please be aware that there is heavy traffic at border control in the port of Dover.
"If you are booked to travel today please allow at least six hours to clear all security checks."
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