DOVER (dpa-AFX) – The consequences of the mass layoffs at the British ferry operator P&O, bad weather and the start of the Easter holidays led to long traffic jams at the port of Dover on Saturday. According to a BBC report, motorists were stuck in traffic for more than six hours on their way to the ferry terminal for the crossing across the English Channel.
According to the BBC, a nurse from Germany who wanted to travel with his family to his parents over the holidays reported a real standstill. According to reports, cars were also jammed at the entrance to the Eurotunnel in neighboring Folkestone due to technical difficulties at check-in.
The British Department for Transport activated contingency plans originally drawn up for a no-deal Brexit. Parts of the M20 motorway, which runs from London to Dover, have been closed to cars. Residents in Dover are no longer able to use the car because the roads are completely congested, local news site Kent Online reported.
The ferry operator P&O suddenly dismissed all of its 800 crew members in mid-March. They are to be replaced by cheaper temporary workers. However, until these are operational, the ferry operator has suspended its crossings across the English Channel. Three ships are currently lying unused in the port of Dover. A ship owned by competitor DFDS suffered damage in bad weather in Dunkerque, France, and failed.
The British authorities have now announced that they will examine the mass layoffs at P&O for a criminally relevant offence. The government also wants to examine ways of enforcing the British minimum wage for ship crews./cmy/DP/nas
