Brexit finally ends channel Crossing

Ah! Freedom of movement restricted. Hope any Brexiters being held up in Dover are enjoying their win. But of Course, like Braverman, they will deem it the fault of the French. However, the man in charge in Dover (I forget his name) said it was the checks that now have to be made because of Brexit. But he would, wouldn't he, as some one who knows how things work there, as opposed to anyone in government who think they know how everything works.

I know that Brexit votes did not always go by age, but figures do show that generally the older generation, 65+ voted to leave the EU. I wonder how many of the older travellers on the coach trip to Luxembourg (their driver was interviewed on BBC news), voted for this? Did anyone seriously think that controlling borders and the associated lengthy passport checking process would only apply one way? Please don't anyone say that they should holiday in the UK; people can choose to go where they wish, but some people's vote has made this more difficult.

Perhaps ferries taking more bookings they can manage, greed, along with intransigence of French border control does have much to add to this mix. Wonder how many French have the same problem coming into UK, non I guess, or you never hear about it. Think we just wave them through. Oh the rabid beurocracy of the EU. If they carry on, people will remember there are much nicer, and more welcoming countries we can visit.

Braverman is utterly hopeless and should never be in the position she is in.

To say that the massive hold ups are nothing to do with Brexit is such a ridiculous statement it beggars belief.

Much like her statement that she wasn’t aware that migrants had been shot in Rwanda at the order of the Rwandan government.

Brexit requires all U.K. passports to be checked, fair enough.

Knowing this one would think that the French passport control would have deployed more border control personnel to ensure the operation runs smoothly.

Basic business logic, if you know you are going to be busy deploy more staff.

Seems to have been Dover specifically, no reports of problems at Portsmouth.

Jaxjacky

Seems to have been Dover specifically, no reports of problems at Portsmouth.

My sister and family drove to France yesterday, via the Euro shuttle Folkestone no hold ups, straight through.

GrannyGravy13

Brexit requires all U.K. passports to be checked, fair enough.

Knowing this one would think that the French passport control would have deployed more border control personnel to ensure the operation runs smoothly.

Basic business logic, if you know you are going to be busy deploy more staff.

Just like last year -it is the cheapest quicker crossing and used by coaches in particular.

A busy ferry crossing over the weekend Portsmouth to Saint Malo, but all in all smooth sailing and no huge hold ups.
DD2 went from Plymouth to Roscoff and said no one was really bothering to check on the French side.
Sheer volume of traffic at Dover I'm guessing.

Don't remember his name either flump but I'm sure that he also said when being interviewed that the ferries had taken more bookings than the could realistically handle.

GrannyGravy13

Brexit requires all U.K. passports to be checked, fair enough.

Knowing this one would think that the French passport control would have deployed more border control personnel to ensure the operation runs smoothly.

Basic business logic, if you know you are going to be busy deploy more staff.

The French authorities check passports in Dover, Dover simply hasn’t the level of infrastructure needed for the level of traffic - this was always known to be the case.

Later in the year there will be passport checks, fingerprints, facial recognition plus other length of stay checks etc.

Whitewavemark2

GrannyGravy13

Brexit requires all U.K. passports to be checked, fair enough.

Knowing this one would think that the French passport control would have deployed more border control personnel to ensure the operation runs smoothly.

Basic business logic, if you know you are going to be busy deploy more staff.

Just like last year -it is the cheapest quicker crossing and used by coaches in particular.

I agree it’s the cheapest, but Easter holidays have not just been invented, it is down to not enough man/woman power to do the job of passport checks,

It is not rocket science, the ferry companies knew they would be busy, the French Border Control knew they would be busy deploy more staff simples.

Whitewavemark2

GrannyGravy13

Brexit requires all U.K. passports to be checked, fair enough.

Knowing this one would think that the French passport control would have deployed more border control personnel to ensure the operation runs smoothly.

Basic business logic, if you know you are going to be busy deploy more staff.

The French authorities check passports in Dover, Dover simply hasn’t the level of infrastructure needed for the level of traffic - this was always known to be the case.

Later in the year there will be passport checks, fingerprints, facial recognition plus other length of stay checks etc.

It was also reported that for several hours there were only two French Border Control operatives on duty, ridiculous.

Smileless2012

Don't remember his name either flump but I'm sure that he also said when being interviewed that the ferries had taken more bookings than the could realistically handle.

Strange isn’t it that this was never the case before Brexit.

It was always known that Dover would be the bottleneck.

Freya5

Perhaps ferries taking more bookings they can manage, greed, along with intransigence of French border control does have much to add to this mix. Wonder how many French have the same problem coming into UK, non I guess, or you never hear about it. Think we just wave them through. Oh the rabid beurocracy of the EU. If they carry on, people will remember there are much nicer, and more welcoming countries we can visit.

I doubt it has anything to do with intransigence of French border control. I've just come back from a weekend in Paris. We went by train on Eurostar and border control/customs all went smoothly. If anything, the French officials were quicker than the UK ones. A teacher had 80 pupils with her and asked French border control to open a new gate just for them, which they did.

The issue is to do with coaches, where each passenger has to be checked individually. I've led loads of coaches through Dover/Calais and border control and customs usually just looked at the group leaders' passports, asked if we had any non-UK/EU nationals on board and waved us through. It wasn't like that in pre-EU days and it isn't now - surprise, surprise!

GrannyGravy13

Brexit requires all U.K. passports to be checked, fair enough.

Knowing this one would think that the French passport control would have deployed more border control personnel to ensure the operation runs smoothly.

Basic business logic, if you know you are going to be busy deploy more staff.

Err..

I believe that the French were willing to staff more passport control booths at Portsmouth but the UK turned it down on the grounds of cost..

They can't do proper checks without the facilities.

I also understand that they did provide more staff than usual and sent more across to help move the queues.

The reason that they are taking so long is that every passport has to be checked for previous visits to ensure that the 90 day rule isn't infringed and all passports have to be stamped because of the 90 day rule.

Also, Eurostar has cut back on its schedules because the time taken to process passports was causing problems. So more people and coaches are going via Dover

I understand that, according to comments from people like teachers on twitter, before Brexit coachloads were dealt with by everyone waving their passports, but now each one has to be checked individually.

It really is time that people faced up to the consequences of their Leave vote and admitted that they hadn't realised the inconvenience it would cause people, or even apologised, rather than make excuses; especially such childish excuses as 'it's French petulance'.

I hope that Portsmouth is OK, Jaxjacky , because we're going there soon..

GrannyGravy13

Whitewavemark2

GrannyGravy13

Brexit requires all U.K. passports to be checked, fair enough.

Knowing this one would think that the French passport control would have deployed more border control personnel to ensure the operation runs smoothly.

Basic business logic, if you know you are going to be busy deploy more staff.

Just like last year -it is the cheapest quicker crossing and used by coaches in particular.

I agree it’s the cheapest, but Easter holidays have not just been invented, it is down to not enough man/woman power to do the job of passport checks,

It is not rocket science, the ferry companies knew they would be busy, the French Border Control knew they would be busy deploy more staff simples.

There were plenty at St Pancras and Gare du Nord. We got through French border control more quickly than we got through UK border control.

What short memories some of you have. The French are notorious for blockading their ports, for one reason or another, even when we part of the EU!!!

growstuff

Freya5

Perhaps ferries taking more bookings they can manage, greed, along with intransigence of French border control does have much to add to this mix. Wonder how many French have the same problem coming into UK, non I guess, or you never hear about it. Think we just wave them through. Oh the rabid beurocracy of the EU. If they carry on, people will remember there are much nicer, and more welcoming countries we can visit.

I doubt it has anything to do with intransigence of French border control. I've just come back from a weekend in Paris. We went by train on Eurostar and border control/customs all went smoothly. If anything, the French officials were quicker than the UK ones. A teacher had 80 pupils with her and asked French border control to open a new gate just for them, which they did.

The issue is to do with coaches, where each passenger has to be checked individually. I've led loads of coaches through Dover/Calais and border control and customs usually just looked at the group leaders' passports, asked if we had any non-UK/EU nationals on board and waved us through. It wasn't like that in pre-EU days and it isn't now - surprise, surprise!

Yes.

School children going on holiday - many on a holiday of a life time have returned home - so sad for them and how upset they must be.

The UK border official flicked through every page of my passport before stamping it. The French one just stamped it.

mayisay

What short memories some of you have. The French are notorious for blockading their ports, for one reason or another, even when we part of the EU!!!

Maybe they are, but that's not what they were doing over the weekend.

Enough with the xenophobia!

GrannyGravy13

Brexit requires all U.K. passports to be checked, fair enough.

Knowing this one would think that the French passport control would have deployed more border control personnel to ensure the operation runs smoothly.

Basic business logic, if you know you are going to be busy deploy more staff.

There is nowhere to put the staff! The British government turned down a French proposal for more booths and improved infrastructure in 2020. Commentators at the time pointed out this would inevitably lead to delays from 2021. This is a mess of British making.

www.ft.com/content/2a6662a0-975e-4bcd-9f5b-e241256db4df (archive, so not paywalled)

Sorry, but it is behind a paywall.

Siope

GrannyGravy13

Brexit requires all U.K. passports to be checked, fair enough.

Knowing this one would think that the French passport control would have deployed more border control personnel to ensure the operation runs smoothly.

Basic business logic, if you know you are going to be busy deploy more staff.

There is nowhere to put the staff! The British government turned down a French proposal for more booths and improved infrastructure in 2020. Commentators at the time pointed out this would inevitably lead to delays from 2021. This is a mess of British making.

www.ft.com/content/2a6662a0-975e-4bcd-9f5b-e241256db4df (archive, so not paywalled)

Yes