ferries

The ferry operator has urged passengers with trips booked to ‘plan ahead’ when travelling

P&O Ferries says passengers need to ‘plan ahead’ if they are travelling over the bank holiday weekend. The popular ferry operator issued the alert for customers, as families across the country head off on their half-term holidays.

The travel company operates routes between Dover and Calais, Hull and Rotterdam, and Larne and Cairnryan. P&O Ferries shared the message for passengers in a post on X. Taking to @POferriesupdate, the travel update included essential advice for anyone travelling today (May 24).

P&O Ferries said: “Ahoy half-term heroes and Bank Holiday adventurers! The port will be busier than usual, so pack your bags with a travel pillow and those extra snacks you’ve got in the cupboard.”

The post explained: “We expect the ports to be busy today so please plan ahead and use our top tips.” In the travel advice, P&O Ferries said passengers should:

• Check traffic and their route before setting off
• Bring refreshments and snacks
• Exercise pets before entering the port
• Bring entertainment for children
• Keep documents to hand and remove passports from cases

Families driving to the port should be aware that the bank holiday is set to be the busiest on the roads in two years, according to the RAC. Research suggests almost 19 million Brits are travelling over the long weekend, with 3.4 million journeys expected on Sunday and 3.1 million trips planned for Monday.

The RAC said: “Drivers looking to spend less time in the car should consider making their getaway outside of peak hours. According to transport analytics experts INRIX, the worst jams this weekend will be on the M1, M25, M5, M6.

“On Friday, the M25 anticlockwise will likely see the heaviest traffic from junction 10 to junction 6 around 4.45pm, as people clock off for the day. The same stretch of road could see a second spike on Saturday around lunchtime, with journey times more than twice as long than on a typical day.

“On the same day, queues of 45 minutes are expected at midday on the M5 southbound between the RAC tower near Bristol and junction 23 for Bridgwater.” As a result, there will be an extra one million Brits on the road compared to the same weekend last year.

RAC mobile servicing and repairs team leader Sean Kimberlin said: “With the weather looking like it may improve, millions are planning to make a getaway trip over the bank holiday weekend.

“And the fact our research shows it’s set to be the busiest late May bank holiday since 2024 shows that even though fuel prices remain uncomfortably high, it takes a lot to stop drivers taking to the roads to make the most of a long weekend.”

Shocking images caught the hours long queues bank holiday travellers faced in Dover and Folkestone on the hottest days of the year so far

Bank holiday travellers have been plunged into chaos as some drivers were forced to wait nearly five hours for ferries at Dover.

Brits looking to escape the UK for the long weekend and hot weather were dealt with a massive blow as thousands of cars were kept waiting in sweltering temperatures. Shocking images showed massive queues at the Port of Dover as people tried to catch ferries over to mainland Europe.

The port issued a warning to travellers and the new EU border checks were suspended to help ease the massive congestion on one of the hottest days of the year so far.

Motorists heading to the Eurotunnel for the LeShuttle railway reported delays of an hour or more to check-in in Folkestone.

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Motorists, on Saturday morning, faced delays of up to two hours to reach the port then a wait of up to two and a half hours to complete immigration and processing before getting on their ferries.

The news entry/exit system (EES) involves people from third-party countries, like the UK, having their fingerprints registered and photograph taken to enter the Schengen Area.

The port, in a statement to holidaymakers amid the travel chaos, warned this bank holiday was the first major period it has faced with the new EES system in place.

It said: “We recognise that the border process is slower with the current EES system, and this May Half Term is the first peak period since its introduction.

“French border teams are doing their best within the parameters given and are working with the highest available resources. We are continuing to work hard with them and our other partners to reduce wait times and get you on your way as quickly as possible. It is extremely important to stick to main routes on your journey to the Port, as not doing so causes extra delays and access issues for our local community.”

‘Are you caught up in the Dover queues? Contact us at webnews@trinitymirror.com

In a desperate bid to ease congestion, the French authorities suspended extra EU border checks under the EES, the port announced. It also said anyone who has missed their ferry crossing because of queues can travel on the next available slot free of charge.

Holidaymakers also faced hours long waits at Dover on Friday, but the congestion has appeared to ease on Saturday afternoon. In an update around 1.15pm on Saturday, the port said the processing time for tourist traffic had dropped to 50 minutes.

Despite this, the port said there were “still queues in the check-in plaza for tourist traffic and approach lanes for all ferry operators”. More than 8,000 travellers are expected at the port on Saturday.

The travel nightmare comes on a long weekend where multiple temperature records could be broken – with parts of the UK possibly hotter than the Seychelles on Saturday. Records could be broken for the the hottest May day in the UK and England, currently 32.8C; the hottest May day in Wales, currently 30.6C ; as well as the UK and England’s hottest bank holiday, which sits for now at 33.3C, according to the Met Office.

Highs of 30C are likely to be seen in the south of England on Saturday after the UK saw the hottest day of the year so far when temperatures hit 28.4C in Heathrow, Cambridge and Cranwell in Lincolnshire on Friday afternoon. This would be hotter than the temperatures forecast for popular holiday spots like Split in Croatia and even Victoria in the Seychelles.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued amber heat health alerts on Friday morning for the East Midlands, West Midlands, the east of England, London and the South East. They will remain in place until 5pm on Wednesday and replace less severe yellow alerts which were previously issued.

The alerts mean there is likely to be “a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions” and increased demand on all health and social care services, according to the UKHSA website. Yellow alerts have been issued for the north-east and north-west of England, Yorkshire and Humber, and the South West.