France and UK Boost Border Staffing to Prevent Summer Travel Chaos

France and the United Kingdom have agreed to increase staffing at border control points in an effort to prevent major travel disruption as new biometric border checks come into force.

Travel delays at Channel crossings are expected to increase sharply next weekend with the start of the summer holiday season. British lawmakers have warned of "utter chaos and miles of tailbacks" unless the European Union's Entry/Exit System (EES) is improved or temporarily suspended.

Although the EU has rejected calls to delay the rollout, French officials have assured UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander that additional border officers will be deployed to help reduce waiting times.

The UK government has also announced £20 million in funding to expand passport control facilities, improve vehicle processing capacity, and ease congestion at key border crossings.

Alexander said she and her French counterpart, Philippe Tabarot, agreed that maintaining high staffing levels at border checkpoints is essential to ensure smoother journeys for travelers throughout the busy summer period.

According to reports, French border police are prepared to deploy more officers at Dover, Folkestone, and London St Pancras International, where Eurostar services depart. However, the exact number of additional personnel has not been confirmed.

The UK government has also raised concerns that biometric kiosks used for fingerprint and facial recognition checks are not functioning properly. As a result, French border officers are manually registering passengers while waiting for new biometric equipment to become operational.

The Port of Dover said the new EES checks caused delays of up to four and a half hours during the May holiday period. Traffic is expected to rise significantly this summer, with around 12,000 vehicles projected to pass through Dover next weekend—more than three times the normal volume.

The EU's Entry/Exit System was introduced to strengthen border security following the terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels. Since April, UK travelers entering or leaving the Schengen Area have been required to register by scanning their passports and providing facial images and fingerprints.

While the new system is designed to improve security, officials on both sides of the Channel are now racing to minimize delays and keep summer travel running smoothly.