Dover in chaos with 250,000 drivers stranded in 24 hour queues after French put just ONE border guard on duty
Carriageway chaos as motorists drive "the wrong way up the carriageway" to escape queues and police helicopters drafted to deliver more than 11,000 bottles of water
FURIOUS holidaymakers are facing DAYS of queuing misery at the Port of Dover as France steps up security measures in wake of continental terror tensions.
Tens of thousands of motorists headed abroad have been stranded "for miles" on roads approaching the port and now authorities have announced the jam will continue until Monday.
Many families, who had planned to travel abroad on the first day of the holiday season, have been forced to sleep in their cars overnight.
Port authorities and French border control booths at Dover have been "seriously understaffed" since Friday as a deluge of some 250,000 holidaymakers attempt to cross the channel.
Helpless motorists have taken to social media to vent their frustration.
Allison Dillon tweeted: Update on journey; still not there 20 hrs queuing. My niece walked to find food and fainted in petrol station. Disgrace".
One driver told of dual carriageway chaos as cars turned around and started dangerously "driving the wrong way up the carriageway" in attempts to escape the massive queues.
Exasperated Renta Roslak told how she and her husband left Birmingham at 7pm on Friday and still had not reached the port by Saturday evening.
She said: "It's absolutely horrendous. "We have maybe moved half a mile in the last eight hours. There isn't even somewhere to turn around and head home.
"I even phoned the police to find out what was happening - we were told that there weren't enough staff to cope with the extra security checks, so ferries are leaving but they aren't full."
Aga Soja tweeted: "We have been stuck in a queue at Dover for seven hours now, travelling with kids...no food, no toilet...can anyone do anything? Local police?"
Police helicopters were drafted on Saturday afternoon to assist in delivering more than 11,000 bottles of water to stranded holiday-goers.
Officials said that tailbacks went on for as long as 12 miles out of Dover and claimed that the travel disruption was set to continue "for the next 36 to 48 hours".
While port authorities and local police struggle to cope with the thousands of desperate drivers, aid worker Ravi Singh has received praise on Twitter for his efforts in distributing water to stranded families.
Tom Crocker, a Met Office meteorologist, said that while air temperatures are expected to be around 20 degrees Celsius today, the heat on the tarmac could be far higher.
He: "It depends on sunshine amounts. A lot of direct sunshine will allow temperatures to come up a reasonable amount.
"It looks like in Kent there is going to be a reasonably long period of sunshine. In terms of temperatures on the road, we are looking at the mid 30s."
Unlucky driver Dom Leydon was caught in the motorway mayhem overnight on Friday for approximately 12 hours before finally giving in and turning back.
He said to a friend on Twitter: "It's been a 11 hour wait to get near the front, it's another 4 hour delay at check in," before tweeting an hour later that he had reached the M20 and decided to turn around.
Other reports suggest port authorities are doing "full background checks" on all holidaymakers hoping to cross the channel, making border procedures last for hours.
Suzanne Holland, who finally checked in for the '08.30' ferry crossing 12 hours after arriving in Dover, said: "Anyone would be uncomfortable for that time especially with no inofrmation. Had we known we would have tried to sleep."
The delays are slowing travel at the height of the summer vacation season when many Britons travel to Europe by car.
Kent Police said the delays were due to French border checks and advised drivers to stock up on food and water.
A Port of Dover Spokesman said: "We have been experiencing an exceptional security situation at French border controls situated within the Port of Dover.
"French Border Authorities have been operating at a heightened level of security.
"However, the French border control booths have been seriously understaffed overnight with only three booths available for tourists out of a potential seven.
"At one stage, only one French officer was available to check passengers on hundreds of coaches, resulting in each coach taking 40 minutes to process.
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"The Port of Dover, which has no authority over French border operations, raised concerns over French manning levels with the UK Government earlier this week and the Government, in turn, raised the issue with its French counterparts.
"The current wait remains lengthy and passengers should contact ferry operators for information, consider delaying their departure, and ensure they have plenty of water and food with them if deciding to travel."
Bus service Stagecoach SouthEast tweeted: "#Dover #Folkestone we are experiencing severe delays on all of our services due to the amount of traffic trying to get to the #PortofDover".
P&O Ferries said: "Heightened checks by French Police are causing long delays, rest assured we'll get you on your way as soon as you pass the checks".
Other Twitter users have blamed Brexit for the chaos, stating the French are getting revenge on Brits for voting to leave the European Union.
The idea that the queues are a French punishment has sparked online debate, with other social media users denouncing the argument as 'stupid'.
The massive jam comes in the wake of increased terror tensions across Europe.
On Friday night an 18-year-old German-Iranian man massacred nine people with a handgun in a fast-food restaurant in Munich before turning the gun on himself.
Just over a week ago, another lone gunman ploughed a truck through packed streets in the French city of Nice as locals and tourists gathered to watch a fireworks display.
The latest of the horrifying attacks in France left 84 people dead and dozens injured.
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