Christmas getaway households are held up in large queues at Dover as IT meltdown strikes French border management

The great Christmas getaway peaked this morning with families held in massive queues at Dover after an IT meltdown disrupted French border control.

Hundreds of cars were stuck in gridlock traffic and many passengers missed their ferry. 

The Port of Dover released a statement on X explaining that even though the problem has been resolved, the delays will continue throughout the day. 

It wrote: ‘Earlier IT issues we experienced at the border have now been resolved. 

‘Our teams are working hard to hep everyone on their way this morning, but things may be slower for the next few hours.

‘We’re sorry for any delays. If you miss your booked sailing, your ferry operator will place you on the next available crossing. 

‘Thank you for your patience and understanding.’ 

One person who has been stuck in traffic all morning, urged other families to avoid travelling via Dover Port.

Posting on X they wrote: ‘Horrible experience at Port of Dover this morning. Absolute chaos.

‘Traffic at a standstill for an hour. Worst start to holiday imaginable. Just missed our boat. Still stuck. Kids in car.

‘Don’t travel via Dover Port if you can avoid  it.’

Another user added: ‘What a mess getting to Dover has been this week. I think it is 3 serious accident in Operation Bock leading to traffic jams and closure and now this.’ 

Traffic in the run up to Christmas peaked yesterday, while the country’s airports are facing their busiest Christmas travel period on record.

Mapping and location technology company TomTom issued a warning over ‘severe’ traffic today, when many people will embark on last-minute shopping trips or getaways to loved ones.

Its analysis of the Saturday before Christmas Day last year found Edinburgh was the UK’s most congested city, with journeys taking an average of 50.1 per cent longer compared with free-flowing traffic.

The Scottish capital had a sustained period of jams between noon and 4pm.

London was the second most congested city, with journeys of 10km (6.2 miles) taking more than 40 minutes in the early evening.

Manchester was in third place, followed by Birmingham and Sheffield.

TomTom traffic expert Andy Marchant said: ‘This year’s super Saturday is set to spark a surge in traffic across the UK, as last-minute shoppers and festive travellers hit the roads.

‘Last year, our data showed Edinburgh’s congestion peaking at 76 per cent around midday. In London, the evening rush was particularly severe.

‘Drivers should expect the busiest periods between midday and early evening, as shopping trips, social plans and the Christmas getaway all converge.

‘Our advice is to plan ahead, allow extra time for your journey and keep an eye on real-time traffic updates to avoid the worst of the festive gridlock.’

The RAC forecast that a total of 37.5million leisure trips by car are planned between Wednesday of this week and Christmas Eve.

That is the most in the week before Christmas Day since the company began recording the data in 2013.

Christmas Eve is expected to be the busiest day for leisure trips over the festive period, with 4.2 million of those journeys.

National Highways said it will lift more than 90 per cent of roadworks on its network of motorways and major A roads in England between 6am on Sunday and the early hours of January 2.

A spokesperson for the Government-owned company said: ‘Some work will still need to continue but our teams will be working around the clock to keep the country moving.’

UK airports are also expecting their busiest Christmas getaway in history.

Travel trade organisation Abta estimated that more than five million people from the UK will travel abroad between Friday and January 4.

Holiday companies are reporting strong sales for winter sun destinations such as mainland Spain, the Canary Islands, Portugal and Turkey.

Christmas market breaks in Tallin, Estonia; Gdansk, Poland; Vienna, Austria; and Cologne, Germany are also proving popular.

The Civil Aviation Authority said passenger numbers for December are forecast to exceed the record 22million seen last year.

Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, is preparing for more than seven million passengers to travel through its four terminals this month.

The Port of Dover estimates nearly 30,000 cars will embark on outbound sailings during the festive period, with traffic peaking between 6am and 1pm from Friday to Sunday.

Engineering work by Network Rail will lead to more pressure on the roads – particularly following Christmas Day – with several of the UK’s busiest railway lines disrupted.

Projects on multiple sections of the West Coast Main Line will affect journeys to and from London Euston from December 27 to January 4, as well as journeys between Scotland and north-west England from New Year’s Day to January 14.

Elsewhere on the network, there will be no trains between Leeds and York between Christmas Day and January 2.

No services will run between Cambridge North, Cambridge, Bury St Edmunds and Stansted Airport between Christmas Day and January 5.

London Waterloo, one of the UK’s busiest stations, will be closed to trains between Christmas Day and December 28, and will have a reduced timetable between December 29 and January 4.

In Scotland, there will be no trains between Dalmuir and Balloch/Helensburgh Central, or between Glasgow Queen Street and Crianlarich, between Christmas Eve and January 2.

Some 95 per cent of Britain’s railways will be unaffected by engineering work, Network Rail said. But, as usual, the entire network will shut down on Christmas Day.

Most operators will also run no trains on Boxing Day but a handful will have a very limited timetable.