A FAMILY of four from Wimborne have been trapped on the motorway for hours waiting for their ferry from Dover.

Sue Scott, her husband and two children, set off from their home at 6.30am on Saturday to catch the ferry to Calais and make their way down to Spain for the start of their summer holiday.

But major delays caused by extra French security checks means the family – and hundreds of others – are stuck waiting to enter Dover as vehicles clear passport control.

“We got to the back of the traffic at 11am when it got to about 28 degrees,” Mrs Scott said. “It’s horrendous, just absolutely awful. I feel really bad for these people who have young children and dogs. Thankfully we didn’t bring our dog. It’s just been a nightmare.”

Mrs Scott said she’d heard reports that the increased security checks had been exacerbated by a lack of staff at Dover.

“There are no loos, people are rushing into bushes – it’s really dangerous,” Mrs Scott said.

She shared a video of a skateboarder travelling down the motorway faster than the traffic.


Mrs Scott added: “I don’t think I’d be heading off if I knew what it would be like.

"We also understand that P&O have reported a three hour delay at the port itself. There is one passport official checking trucks and each one takes 45 minutes each to check a lorry. Even now they are reporting major understaffing.

“We may make it to Calais in the early hours of the morning but we may sleep in the car. Luckily the children are old enough [to deal with this].”