Drivers at the Port of Dover in south-east England were braced for further delays on Sunday after setbacks for thousands of holidaymakers on Friday and Saturday.
Queuing times at the port were expected to be cut to an hour on Sunday after motorists were forced to wait for up to six hours on the previous two days.
But despite the reduction in waiting times, a “critical incident” declared by the port on Friday remained in place on Sunday, and Highways England warned of “severe delays”.
Gridlocked roads, frustrated drivers and delayed trips prompted a war of words between British and French authorities.
The UK accused France of failing to put enough border officials on desks at Dover to process people heading across the Channel, but Paris said the problems were caused by the Brexit hangover.
The closure of most schools in England and Wales last week for the summer break set people on their way overseas. There have also been huge queues at airports including Heathrow, Manchester and Bristol.
The Port of Dover said traffic was flowing at normal rates on Sunday morning. Many drivers travelled through the night to reach the port before their scheduled Channel crossing.
“French border is fully manned and everything is flowing normally,” a spokesman said. “There will be queues but short term [less than 60 minutes] during the day.”
He said the port will “continue to issue the need to come prepared” when asked whether people should still ensure they have appropriate water, food and medical supplies with them if travelling.
In the early hours of Sunday, a tweet from the port said the “system brought in temporarily to manage excess traffic in the area had ended and traffic can proceed directly to the port”.
Shortly before 9.30am, the port said tourist traffic was “moving slowly” through border controls with an average waiting time of 60 minutes.
“Freight flows are freely flowing,” it added.
About 72,000 vehicles had been processed by port officials by Sunday and 200 miles of traffic had been cleared.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, said as the problems ease at Dover he feared the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkestone — 13 miles away — could become the next point of congestion.
He said issues at these “two very key terminals” would cause disruption for countless passengers.
Many in Britain whose trips were cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic are keen to use up holidays vouchers.
The cost of living crisis has also added to the demand for travel as householders are uncertain if they will be able to afford to get away in the coming months.
“We’ve had lorries being stacked as part of Operation Brock on the M20 and the subsequent diversion now on to the A20,” Mr Cousens told Sky News. “They now meet each other at the terminal junction 11A and that is causing congestion.
“Our concern is that the Eurotunnel is now going to be the main problem of congestion, particularly in the south-east.”
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who is battling with Rishi Sunak to become the next Conservative leader and prime minister, blamed France.
On Saturday, Ms Truss said she had spoken to her French counterpart Catherine Colonna about the disruption.
“I was clear the French authorities have not put enough people on the border and we need to see action from then to resolve the terrible situation which travellers, including families, are facing,” Ms Truss said.
The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm
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The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Zayed Sustainability Prize
More from Aya Iskandarani
The specs: 2019 Subaru Forester
Price, base: Dh105,900 (Premium); Dh115,900 (Sport)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 182hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 239Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.1L / 100km (estimated)
Fight card
Preliminaries:
Nouredine Samir (UAE) v Sheroz Kholmirzav (UZB); Lucas Porst (SWE) v Ellis Barboza (GBR); Mouhmad Amine Alharar (MAR) v Mohammed Mardi (UAE); Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) v Spyro Besiri (GRE); Aslamjan Ortikov (UZB) v Joshua Ridgwell (GBR)
Main card:
Carlos Prates (BRA) v Dmitry Valent (BLR); Bobirjon Tagiev (UZB) v Valentin Thibaut (FRA); Arthur Meyer (FRA) v Hicham Moujtahid (BEL); Ines Es Salehy (BEL) v Myriame Djedidi (FRA); Craig Coakley (IRE) v Deniz Demirkapu (TUR); Artem Avanesov (ARM) v Badreddine Attif (MAR); Abdulvosid Buranov (RUS) v Akram Hamidi (FRA)
Title card:
Intercontinental Lightweight: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) v Angel Marquez (ESP)
Intercontinental Middleweight: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) v Francesco Iadanza (ITA)
Asian Featherweight: Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) v Phillip Delarmino (PHI)
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
More on animal trafficking
Racecard
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At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253