Holiday-makers could face “14-hour delays” at Kent border controls under a new EU entry/exit scheme, MPs have been told.
The Port of Dover and the surrounding area could be hit by major disruption when the EU Entry-Exit System (EES) launches, the Commons’ European Scrutiny Committee heard earlier today.
The system is expected to involve tourists from non-EU countries such as the UK having their fingerprints scanned and a photograph taken to register them on a database the first time they enter a member state.
There are concerns this will cause long queues for train and ferry passengers travelling from Dover as border checks for people entering the EU are carried out there before they embark on cross-Channel journeys.
There has been speculation the EES will come into force this autumn following several delays.
Kent County Council and Ashford Borough Council told the Committee in written evidence that a “reasonable worst case” scenario could see 14-hour delays at the Port of Dover if the scheme is implemented as currently planned, in October 2024.
Giving evidence to the committee, Kent County Council leader Roger Gough said Ashford Borough Council’s suggestion that wait times could reach such times “does not seem to us unrealistic”.
He added: “If you had extra aggravating pressures, weather or whatever, (the situation) could be worse.”
Mr Gough explained that “it takes very little” for disruption to cause a major build-up of traffic in Kent.
He added: “It starts usually in and around the town of Dover. It rapidly moves to other parts of the county and has that effect very, very quickly.”
The Port of Dover and surrounding roads have seen multiple episodes of gridlocked traffic over the past few years, withpost-Brexit checks adding to waiting times.
Deirdre Wells, chief executive at tourism organisation Visit Kent, told the committee that “media coverage of Kent being a car park” during previous incidents “impacts our reputation” and affects local businesses.
She said: “We need to sort something that will alleviate the bottleneck at our ports to ensure that whether you’re coming to the county for business purposes or domestic purposes, you can access the county easily, but actually that the experience of inbound and outbound travel… is professional, welcoming and speedy.
