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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 over 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 their cars because the roads are completely congested, local news site Kent Online reported.
The ferry operator P&O abruptly dismissed all of its approximately 800 crew members in mid-March. They are to be replaced by cheaper temporary workers. However, until these are ready for use, the ferry operator has stopped making trips across the English Channel. Three ships are currently lying unused in the port of Dover. A ship belonging to the competitor DFDS was also damaged in bad weather in Dunkerque, France, and failed.
The British authorities have meanwhile announced that they will examine the mass layoffs at P&O for a criminal offense. The government also wants to examine the possibility of enforcing the British minimum wage for ship crews./cmy/DP/nas
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