Dover motorists may be held in ‘car stacking’ sites | UK | News


Motorists going to Dover may be held in “car stacking” sites after a new EU rule comes into force.

Zones away from the main road may be used for overspill port traffic from November, once the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) is brought in.

The government is believed to be in talks with local landowners and authorities, amid concerns from the council that the system could cause queues of up to 15 hours.

Under the new rule, all non-EU passengers will be required to have their fingerprints and photo taken on their first entry into the Schengen area.

The stacking sites will be designed to be brought into and out of use at high speed, and could include fields with matting on them, a source told the Times.

Drivers waiting to embark on ferry crossings will be reportedly stacked in lanes, where border officials will register passengers in each vehicle with tablets.

Travellers may also be questioned on the purpose of their visit, duration of stay and their funds, and could be asked to provide proof of a return journey.

Sources are concerned that Port staff, who handle 1.3million cars annually, aren’t ready for the changes, having not even seen the technology they will be using to process passengers.

Passengers for the Channel Tunnel will register in a terminal at Folkestone, where they will need to leave their cars.

Ministers believe the potential for queues there is less likely than at the Port of Dover, where space is far more limited.

The new stacking sites at Dover are being “kept under review as a contingency plan”, minister for migration and citizenship Seema Malhotra said.

She said: “We are continuing to work with the councils, the European Union and our French counterparts to make sure we are as possible to minimise the risk of long queues, particularly at peak travel times.”

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