“I would like to thank the French police for the important work they have done for the benefit of British citizens”.
During a press conference on Saturday afternoon, Georges-François Leclerc, the prefect of Hauts-de-France and the North insisted on the work provided by the French officials in charge of identity checks on the British side of the Channel. .
The prefect reacted to the aftermath of the large queues in the port of Dover to go to France and to the accusations of the British government of wanting to "ruin" the holidays of its nationals.
To explain these significant delays, the prefect first of all mentions a "traffic accident which created very significant traffic jams preventing the police from arriving in the control zone at the scheduled time and which are not due to the police officers whom I would like to thank”.
He accuses the British authorities and in particular the port of Dover “which is a private port” of having called into question the work of the French civil servants because it is “easier”.
Georges-François Leclerc insisted on the responsiveness of the French police and asked if "the shipping companies have put in so many reinforcements" before answering "I think not".
The prefect confirmed that "the fifteen control crossing lines were opened 1h15 late yesterday", but denied that all this was due to the French police and also invoked "a layout of the port of Dover which is not optimal" .
The prefect nevertheless wanted to move forward by affirming that France "takes its share of responsibility" but that "it is a responsibility shared with the British".
Since Friday, the representative of the State in Hauts-de-France and the North explains that there has been “an improvement in the situation”.
The direct consequences of Brexit on waiting times
Finally, like a spade in the direction of the British, Georges-François Leclerc also recalled that the waiting time at the port of Dover had been increased since Brexit.
"Crossing the border now requires a passport control for each citizen", begins by describing the prefect and continuing "Previously, a simple identity card was enough, but today it is necessary to stamp the passport, this does not is not the same thing”.
The prefect of Hauts-de-France and the North made a point of mentioning the good resumption of traffic during the day on Saturday: "the waiting time is 3 p.m. of 40 minutes whereas it was 1:30 a.m. this morning and 60% of the vehicles have been able to embark without incident this Saturday for the moment”.
Finally, the prefect reiterated on BFMTV that the summer period and the increase in traffic that accompanies it necessarily increase the waiting time, but that this had been "anticipated and the system adapted": "there are generally 4,000 vehicles that usually pass the checks, compared to 9,000 on Friday and Saturday”.