Trouble at French border crossings?

[hoegaardenruls]

Riley Blue said:

I'm not aware of British cars being stopped and searched at the French/Belgian border, just being diverted off and back on as described above along with other traffic.

Nothing was being stopped by the sound of it, but I guess keeping the diversion in place allows spot checks to be restarted at short notice

[Gren]

PositronicRay said:

Through the summer check in @ the tunnel was taking much longer. No time for a comfort break, go straight to queue. Is it still the same?

We came back through the tunnel a week or so back (the day of the trucker strike) and it was a breeze. We rocked up a couple of hours early, checked into a train an hour earlier than booked, grabbed a coffee and then on to the train. No more checks than usual - just the usual UK passport one

Getting into France (via the ferry) was even quicker. Only checks were at Dover as we got randomly selected for a steering wheel swab. Gates at the French side weren't even manned.

[Iva Barchetta]

Gren said:

Gates at the French side weren't even manned.

They haven't been manned for years.

French do all the checks at UK departure point,when they can be bothered and when they don't care about grid locking Dover.

[PositronicRay]

Gren said:

PositronicRay said:

Through the summer check in @ the tunnel was taking much longer. No time for a comfort break, go straight to queue. Is it still the same?

We came back through the tunnel a week or so back (the day of the trucker strike) and it was a breeze. We rocked up a couple of hours early, checked into a train an hour earlier than booked, grabbed a coffee and then on to the train. No more checks than usual - just the usual UK passport one

Getting into France (via the ferry) was even quicker. Only checks were at Dover as we got randomly selected for a steering wheel swab. Gates at the French side weren't even manned.

Thanks, I like to exercise dog and have a squirt before boarding.

[adamInca]

gadgetmac said:

Can somebody tell me what the situation is at the French-Belgium border going both from and to France at the moment.

Are UK cars still being delayed whilst they are stopped and searched or has it calmed down a bit now? I'm trying to plan a trip to Ypes next weekend.

We came back via E40 on Thursday and there was a diversion off the first junction around the roundabout and back on. Lot of military looking bored playing on their phones, but no-one was stopped while we were going around.

There was a good 30 min wait at the tunnel though, so much so that we missed the earlier train we'd selected at the check-in booth and had to get the next one.

[bad company]

adamInca said:

We came back via E40 on Thursday and there was a diversion off the first junction around the roundabout and back on. Lot of military looking bored playing on their phones, but no-one was stopped while we were going around..

That's what happening to us last week. I wondered what they were looking for and who they would target for more attention.

We then had another delay at the Eurotunnel terminal as a silly mare had gone off and left her handbag on a chair. Cue clearing everybody out of the terminal and more delay.

[AJB88]

Came back on Monday to Dunkirk ferry, was diverted off one of the roundabouts and back on but no police/army in sight.

Drover straight to ferry terminal and straight on.