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HEIGHTENED HOLIDAY TRAFFIC and increased security at border-control has seen huge delays arise at the Port of Dover over the weekend.
The disruption first became apparent on Friday and is expected to last until at least Monday.
Currently the average delay being seen by motorists is ten hours, with approximately 12 miles worth of traffic queuing to get into the port along the A20 road.
Kent Police have warned motorists to stay in their vehicles regardless of the delay, both because of the danger and because the traffic gridlock is being exacerbated by driverless vehicles when the traffic begins to move.
The force has also been dropping bottles of water from helicopters to travellers stuck at the centre of the gridlock.
Likewise the other carriageway of the motorway has been closed to give police, coastguard, and Kent council officials to hand out bottles of water to stranded drivers.
The traffic snarl is resulting both from an increased number of travellers leaving England and heading for Europe, and also due to heightened security restrictions at French border control following on from the terror attacks seen across Europe in the past week.
UK border officials have now been drafted to help their French counterparts in processing travellers at border control.
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