“We’ve been badly let down this morning by the French border," he said, urging travelers to “consider holding off heading for the port at this point in time until more is known."

 

France denied its border officials were unprepared. Georges-Francois Leclerc, the top official for the Haut-de-France region, said an unforeseen “technical incident” in the Channel Tunnel prevented some Dover border booths from being staffed as planned Friday morning but that the problem was resolved after about 75 minutes.

 

By Friday afternoon, port authorities said more French staff had arrived “and traffic is slowly beginning to move, but it will take some time to clear the backlog.”

 

Turkish truck driver Muhammet Turker said he began queuing in his rig at Dover on Thursday evening and was still waiting 16 hours later.

 

“I’ve been in something like this before, but this is the worst," he said.

 

Ferry operator P&O urged travelers to “arrive prepared for a prolonged wait. Carry snacks and additional water with you.”

Protesters against high fuel prices also held rolling roadblocks Friday on routes to southwest England, a popular holiday destination, although police said these did not cause significant traffic problems.

 

The problems follow days of travel disruption on Britain’s railways after a heat wave brought record-smashing 40 degrees

 

Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures to the U.K., buckling rails and starting fires.

Rail workers also staged nationwide strikes last month in a dispute over pay and conditions, and plan more walkouts next week.

 

Air travel has also been hit, in Britain and around the world, as airlines and airports struggle to cope with the return of mass travel following two years of pandemic disruptions.