Holidaymakers queue for an hour to get past Dover border checks
Not getting away! Holiday-makers queue for an hour to get past Dover border checks while strikes hit 14 rail companies and 3.1m take to the roads as summer holidays officially start
- Today is Britain’s ‘busiest day of travel’ as the school summer holidays begin
Holidaymakers queued for an hour on Saturday to get past border checks in Dover as the country is hit by train strikes, traffic jams and packed airports.
Around two million people attempted to head off on an overseas holiday today, with many deciding to take the hit of prices soaring by 41 per cent at some of Europe’s most popular beach spots.
Strikes have hit 14 rail companies and 3.1 million travellers have taken to the roads after many schools across England broke up for the summer holidays.
The Port of Dover said today it was taking about 60 minutes for departing passengers to pass through border checks.
Huge queues of cars were captured heading back for miles along the A20 in Kent as they waited to enter the port.
Holidaymakers queued for an hour on Saturday to get past border checks in Dover as the country is hit by train strikes, traffic jams and packed airports
The Port of Dover said it was taking about 60 minutes for departing passengers to pass through border checks
It said traffic was moving ‘according to plan’ at the English Channel port in Kent, with 25,671 passengers setting sail for France by 3pm on Saturday.
A spokesman said: ‘If you miss your ferry, don’t worry, you’ll be on the next available sailing.’
P&O Ferries also updated passengers of Border Control queues and urged them to allow extra time to clear security checks.
The summer getaway comes as a walkout by thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) disrupted services, with some areas having no trains all day.
The dispute over pay, jobs and conditions remains deadlocked after more than a year of industrial action.
An overtime ban by the drivers’ union Aslef also hit services on Saturday.
With reduced services at 14 train companies where the RMT is striking, National Rail warned passengers that the ‘last trains during industrial action may be earlier than you think, with busier services and stations.’
Passengers were urged to plan their journeys in advance and to check with train operators before travelling.
The RAC said it expected a ‘busy weekend on the roads’ with an estimated 3.1 million leisure trips expected on Saturday and 2.5 million on Sunday.
Motorists on the UK’s busiest motorway, the M25, faced long tail backs this morning after a smash yesterday near the Dartford Crossing saw part of the road closed down before reopening again at 7am.
Hundreds of thousands of passengers left Heathrow and Gatwick airports, with a further 200,000 departing from Manchester and 71,000 from Bristol.
Huge queues of cars were captured heading back for miles along the A20 in Kent as they waited to enter the port
DOVER: Traffic builds up in the Port of Dover, Kent, this morning as the busy summer travel period gets underway
LONDON: Fed-up passengers sit at King’s Cross railway station as strikes continue
SUSSEX: Passengers queue at check in at a busy Gatwick Airport this morning
BRISTOL: Passengers fill Bristol Airport, facing lengthy queues and check-in desks
The Port of Dover had already seen 9,986 passengers through as of 8am this morning
Passenger volumes are finally expected to return to 2019 levels this summer – with some ports exceeding that figure – after the last three have been disrupted by the Covid pandemic.
Border Force expects to see more than 34 million air arrivals coming through UK passport control over the coming months.
In an effort to help families travel more easily, children aged 10 and over will be able to enter the UK using eGates across 15 air and rail ports from Monday, the Home Office said.
More than 400,000 children aged 10 and 11 are projected to use eGates this year.
The soaring number of holiday goers come as European beach holidays have been hit by higher prices compared with last summer due to inflation.
The cost of tourist staples such as mals, drinks and beach items have risen year-on-year in 16 destinations analysed by the Post Office Family Holiday Report.
Italy’s Puglia was the only location where prices for UK visitors have dropped, with a 10.3 per cent fall.
Meanwhile, the weather is set to be unsettled across the weekend with heavy rain for some, according to the Met Office.
It will feel ‘disappointingly cool for most’ with temperatures around 13C.
It comes after Friday’s highest and lowest temperatures were 22.6C in Frittenden in Kent and 1.6C at Tulloch Bridge in the Scottish Highlands.
MANCHESTER: Bored holiday goers line up for check-in at Manchester Airport this morning
After a cloudy start to Saturday, the northern half of Scotland could stay drier with sunny spells and a few showers, while it could become increasingly windy in southern England and Wales, the forecaster said.
For those holidaying in the UK, the first two weeks of the holidays will be a washout but there are indications the weather could become more settled in the second week of August, the Met Office said.
The UK’s poor summer is due to the position of a jet stream which is also pushing high pressure to the south where parts of Europe are experiencing a heatwave.
The highest annual increases are in Sunny Beach, Bulgaria (up 41 per cent), Marmaris, Turkey (up 33.3 per cent) and Funchal, Madeira (up 24.1 per cent).
Despite the rises, Marmaris and Sunny Beach were among the three destinations with the lowest prices, alongside Portugal’s Algarve.
The report found that prices in Marmaris have doubled year-on-year due to inflation and the unstable economy.
Laura Plunkett, head of travel money at Post Office, said: ‘Although sterling is at a 2023 high against European currencies, inflation has hit local prices abroad just as it has in the UK.
‘This means families should expect to pay more for meals, drinks and other tourist items in most resorts.
‘Ironically, two of the cheapest destinations we surveyed – Turkey and Bulgaria – have seen the biggest rises.
DOVER: Winding queues build up due to border checks being carried out this mornig
SUSSEX: As schools break up for summer many families headed to the airport for a getaway
‘However, they are still places where bargain hunters will get the most for their money.’
Richard Sofer, commercial director at Tui UK and Ireland, which contributed to the report, said: ‘Holidays will always be a priority for our customers, but value for money is clearly more important now than ever before.
‘Despite the rising costs of living, many customers aren’t willing to sacrifice their precious annual getaway and we’ve seen a trend in customers opting for more affordable destinations, including Bulgaria and Turkey, with Greece and the Balearics also a firm favourite.
‘We’re also seeing some customers taper their holiday slightly, such as reducing holiday duration from 14 nights to 7, 10 or 11-nights.’
For those holidaying in the UK, the first two weeks of the holidays will be a washout, but there are signals that indicate during the second week of August the weather could start to become more settled, the Met Office said.
The UK is seeing poor weather due to the position of a jet stream – which is also pushing high pressure to the south where parts of Europe are seeing a heatwave.
References
- ^ Eirian Jane Prosser (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Eleanor Dye (www.dailymail.co.uk)