Local coach firm caught up in chaos at Dover

Monday, 3 April 2023 10:37

Coaches, in particular, have suffered extensive delays at Dover. Credit: AOL

Local coach operator Bland Travel has found itself in the middle of the chaotic delays at the port of Dover while trying to drive school pupils to Italy.

A coach operator from Rutland has been caught up in the cross channel delays after leaving Essendine over the weekend and picking up school pupils from Bristol. Blands are bound for Italy and have suffered delays of over a day due to the ‘critical incident’ that has been declared by the authorities at Dover. They were finally on a ferry last night to continue their journey.

The coach company were caught up in queues leading to passport control, which have been blamed on lengthy French border processes and the sheer volume of traffic on the first day of the Easter school holidays. In particular, coaches have found themselves subject to lengthy delays while their paperwork is processed by port staff.

Waiting times are starting to improve, according to sources at Dover, and are now between one and two hours.

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