Coach firms try Eurotunnel after Dover ferry delays

Eurotunnel has had a spike successful enquiries from manager operators seeking to debar a repetition of the play ferry delays astatine Dover.

It comes arsenic ferry firms are successful talks with larboard authorities aft a captious incidental was declared erstwhile travellers faced much than 12-hour waits.

However, Eurotunnel said it was improbable to person availability arsenic bookings were made successful advance.

The authorities said caller Brexit processes played a relation successful the queues.

Extra ferries laid connected implicit the play were not capable to forestall the queues, immoderate of which near schoolchildren successful coaches overnight.

The cross-Channel obstruction relation said Easter was a "really engaged time" but that its contacts had reported an summation successful enquiries "over the past fewer days" arsenic a effect of what had happened successful Dover.

Eurotunnel spokesperson John Keefe said the service, which experienced nary delays past weekend, was already moving astatine maximum capacity.

"We person a constricted fig of trains and 4 is the maximum we tin run per hour. Also we person motortruck shuttles, Eurostar and freight trains. It's a precise aggravated environment," helium said.

The emergence successful enquiries comes arsenic ferry companies instrumentality portion successful talks with the Port of Dover connected however to modulate manager numbers up of a 2nd question of holidaymakers preparing to question to France.

P&O Ferries, 1 of the 3 firms that sails from Dover on with DFDS and Irish Ferries, said the discussions were "ongoing and dynamic".

"We're moving arsenic intimately arsenic imaginable to minimise disruption and moving done a fig of options," a P&O spokesperson said.

There was nary remark astir reports of plans to headdress the fig of coaches going done the larboard astatine traditionally engaged times, specified arsenic schoolhouse holidays.

The Confederation of Passenger Transport, the commercialized assemblage which represents manager companies, said it had approached the Port of Dover astir taking portion successful the talks but received nary response.

"We did emblem this occupation successful February and Maundy Thursday [6 April] is traditionally a engaged time for manager travel," a spokesperson said.

The Department for Transport said it remained successful "close contact" with each parties regarding the delays but would not accidental if it was taking portion successful the talks.

The Port of Dover said it would beryllium releasing a connection successful the "coming days".

The BBC has approached Irish Ferries and DFDS for comment.