Babak Belurs

Sabtu, 23 Juli 2022

Bumper-to-bumper traffic in Dover as UK and France argue over who is to blame for disruption - Sky News

British holidaymakers have been warned to allow several hours to get through the Channel border at Dover and Folkestone, as the UK and France continue to argue over who is to blame for the gridlock.

A Port of Dover spokesman said on Saturday morning there is still a "long way to go" to clear the backlog of vehicles on the M20 in Kent and their "thoughts are with those who were caught up" in six-hour queues on Friday.

Head of the port Doug Bannister added that 10,000 cars are expected at Dover today, as a result of "increased transaction times at the border" due to Brexit, exceeding Friday's 8,500.

P&O ferries is recommending travellers allow up to four hours to pass through checks, suggesting some could end up missing their scheduled departures, but would be allowed on the next one available.

Queue times of up to seven hours are also being reported on the M20 approach to the Eurotunnel at Folkestone.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, warned: "As the schools closed their doors fully yesterday, Saturday could prove busier still this weekend.

"Drivers should continue to expect disruption and delays on major holiday routes to the southwest, eastern coast and ports of Dover and Folkestone."

Every Friday and Saturday of the school holidays are likely to be busy, he added, as holiday rentals begin and end on those days.

'Appalling' start to summer holidays

Speaking to Sky News on Saturday morning, when lines started forming around 4am, Conservative MP for Dover Natalie Elphicke described Friday's disruption as "appalling", but warned "long, long delays" will likely continue through the weekend.

"It was a dreadful start to that summer getaway yesterday and an appalling situation for residents in Dover too. There simply weren't enough French border police," she said.

"Today I am hearing the French workers have turned up and they are expected to be manning the booths at capacity but there will be a knock-on effect as there always is when there is an issue that has happened at the ports.

"We are expecting long, long delays today, traffic has already been building up around the town and it is going to be a very serious situation on the roads again in Kent today."

Roads to watch for delays over the weekend

M25 anticlockwise Junction 4 Bromley to Dartford
M4 eastbound Junction 30 Cardiff East to Junction 24 for the A449 Monmouth
M25 anticlockwise Junction 17 Maple Cross to Junction 12 for the M3
A303 westbound past Stonehenge
M25 clockwise Junction 7 M23 to Junction 16 for the M40
M5 southbound Junction 15 Almondsbury Interchange to Junction 23 for the A38 Bridgwater
Source: RAC

Truss blames French for not upping capacity

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss blamed French authorities for Friday's "unacceptable" delays, calling on them to bring in more staff to handle the demand.

"We need action from France to build up capacity at the border to limit any further disruption for British tourists and to ensure this appalling situation is avoided in future," she said. We will be working with the French authorities to find a solution."

But French MP Pierre-Henri Dumont, who represents Calais, said the problems were "an aftermath of Brexit", adding: "We have to run more checks than before".

He also said that the Port Of Dover was too small and that there were too few kiosks for border staff due to the lack of space.

Dover Port chief executive Mr Bannister was unable to offer any promises that the backlog would clear in the coming days, but said officials were doing their best.

He said that being "let down by poor resourcing at the French border was "immensely frustrating".

Passengers sailing across the Channel from Dover must pass through French border checks before they can board a ferry.

The port said it had increased the number of border control booths by 50%.

"The Port of Dover is relieved that French border staff (Police Aux Frontieres) have been fully mobilised at French border controls in Dover (known as 'juxtaposed controls') on Saturday morning in order to get holidaymakers and freight vehicles moving and to relieve the disruption on the Dover and wider Kent community," a spokesperson said.

"We will, together with our ferry operators, support the efforts of all partners to get people on their way as quickly as possible."

Grant Shapps said he was "working closely" with the French transport minister Clement Beaune, adding: "I welcome his commitment that both Britain and France will work closely to minimise further disruption so people can get away quickly."

Mr Beaune re-tweeted the statement on Twitter.

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2022-07-23 09:32:34Z
1498915390

Tamara Ecclestone heist: Serbia refuses to extradite £26m raid suspect - BBC

The extradition from Serbia of a wanted man accused of one of the biggest burglaries in English legal history was refused, the BBC has found.

Known to the Met Police as Daniel Vukovic he is said to have led a series of burglaries on the luxury homes of three celebrities in December 2019.

This included a £25m raid on the home of model Tamara Ecclestone.

Court documents obtained by the BBC show the Met Police applied to extradite him from Serbia last spring.

This first application was made on 14 April 2021 and was brought to the High Court in Belgrade by the Republic of Serbia's specialised department for organised crime.

It was made at the request of the Met Police who wanted Mr Vukovic extradited to be prosecuted for "conspiracy to commit a burglary" and for "conspiracy to launder money".

The extradition was refused on 15 July by a High Court in Belgrade, court documents show.

Months later on 13 October this decision was appealed but again upheld by the High Court in Belgrade.

Details in the document say "Ljubomir Romanov" is a "legal resident" of Serbia and therefore the legal basis for extradition was not met.

It then cites an extradition treaty agreement between Serbia and the UK signed in December 1900 in which each country can deny extradition of its own citizens.

Who Stole Tamara Ecclestone's Diamonds?

Who is really behind Britain's biggest ever burglary? The police, the victims and even the suspects talk for the first time about the £26m series of raids on celebrity homes.

Watch now on BBC iPlayer (UK Only)

A BBC investigation found a fresh image of Mr Vukovic leaving Heathrow Airport in December 2019, and that he uses at least 19 different aliases.

He has links to countries including Serbia, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and Peru.

Italian authorities suggest his name is Alfredo Lindley, while government documents in Serbia show the request to extradite him came under another name - Ljubomir Romanov.

The suspect is believed to have been part of a gang of three other Italians who were jailed last November for their role in raiding the homes of Ms Ecclestone, Frank Lampard and a townhouse belonging to the now-deceased ex-owner of Leicester City Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.

In total £26m worth of goods were stolen from the properties.

In a BBC Sounds podcast, Met Police Det Con Andrew Payne said: "It's clear Daniel Vukovic had a leading role in the conspiracy.

"The gang have links to Italy. They also have criminal associates in other European countries. It's highly likely that the stolen goods have gone through camps in Milan.

"It's also a fair assumption that the goods are likely to be in Serbia which is the host country where Daniel Vukovic is.

"This is a classic case of it's buried treasure. It's out there somewhere. Someone knows where it is. And at some point some of it has to surface."

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST: Tamara Ecclestone's stolen diamonds

Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hellobbclondon@bbc.co.uk

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2022-07-23 06:27:36Z
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Man's heartbreak as wife collapses and dies suddenly at home - Hull Live

A heartbroken man whose wife collapsed suddenly and died at their home has paid tribute to "his world".

Karl Stevens, 57, a truck driver went to work one morning, only to become concerned when his wife, Sam, 48, did not call him as usual between 5.30am and 6am. When Sam's son was unable to reach her on the phone, emergency services attended the couple's home and tragically found Sam dead.

She had died from heart complications as a result of Multiple Sclerosis. Karl, who was married to Sam for 10 years, said: "Both for me and Sam it was perfection. We'd argue from time to time but 99.9 per cent we were great. It was a fantastic marriage and relationship. I could not have been more happy if I'd tried, she was everything to me, she was my world."

Sam was a senior A&E nurse in Manchester before moving back to Bridlington, where she was brought up, and becoming a manager of nursing homes in Hull and East Yorkshire. She had Crohn's disease and about five years before her death was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Her mobility deteriorated and she had to use a wheelchair, but she continued to work full-time.

Since Sam's death on March 22, last year, Karl has struggled to cope with his devastating loss. He was provided with NHS mental health services support when he expressed suicidal thoughts following her death. But when the risk of suicide receded, he found support for his bereavement much harder to obtain.

For both Sam, pictured wearing a blue top and sunglasses with hands clasped together, and Karl it was their second marriage - he described their relationship and marriage as "fantastic". — For both Sam, pictured, and Karl it was their second marriage - he described their relationship and marriage as "fantastic". (Image: Karl Stevens)

"One organisation don't take on anybody for six months until after a loss," said Karl, who eventually obtained one-to-one counselling. But he was put back on a waiting list for a counsellor again after requesting a change. The counsellor offered only phone services and cancelled at short notice "three weeks on the trot".

He sought a bereavement group as he felt the best tailored support for him. He said: "I'm quite a sensitive and emotional sort of person. I found I wanted to be with others who've been through the same. People who've suffered grief understand what you're going through."

Karl did not find such a group and decided to take it upon himself to create one in Hull. He said: "All of the searches that were coming back were for dating sites for like widows and you don't want that.

Bereavement support in Hull and East Yorkshire

If you have recently experienced a bereavement and are struggling to manage or come to terms with the loss, these specialist wellbeing workers can potentially help.

Cruse Bereavement Care - 0808 808 1677 and helpline@cruse.org.uk ; 01482 565565 for the Hull and East Riding area.

Mind - 01482 240200 and info@heymind.org.uk

Let's Talk - 01482 247111

Dawn Bereavement Support - 01482 461232

"It sort of terrifies me in a way that other people are going through what I'm going through. The world just comes to an end for them. In my case, my wife's, there was no warning. It horrifies me to that other people are gonna be suffering."

Karl's free group will not have any trained therapists but will be a means for the bereaved and those supporting them to share their experiences and also memories of those they grieve. He hopes the group will help provide support to those in a similar position to him.

He has now found a venue for the meetings that plan to be held every first Saturday of each month at 10.30am, starting from September 3. The Reverend Chris van Straaten is supporting the initiative and offered facilities at St Andrew's Church, Grandale, to host the meetings.

"Every time I talk about her it's a knife to the heart but it also gives me a smile," said Karl of talking about his wife Sam. (Image: Karl Stevens)

Karl said: "I use the terminology of like an AA meeting. I appreciate it's not for everyone, some people keep their grief personal and private and that's up to them. There's no right way or wrong way with grief.

The self-help bereavement group will be free and all people have to provide is their first name. A voluntary contribution to church utilities is welcome.

Read next:

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2022-07-23 04:00:00Z
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Jumat, 22 Juli 2022

Dover traffic: Port declares critical incident over long queues - BBC

The Port of Dover has declared a "critical incident" due to six-hour queues leading to the ferry terminal.

Chief executive Doug Bannister said the port had been "badly let down" by the French border controls.

Dover's MP Natalie Elphicke claimed French border officers "didn't turn up for work", causing traffic to queue for miles.

Travellers, some with young children, say they have barely moved for hours as they approach the port.

Francesco Caputo, who is stuck in the queue with his three children, said: "Everything has gone pear shaped."

National Highways said the weekend was expected to be one of the busiest periods of the year for holidaymakers.

Live updates: Travellers warned of six-hour delays at Dover

The Port has accused the French authorities of ruining the summer getaway for thousands of families.

It is understood only six of the 12 passport booths run by the French authorities at Dover are currently open.

The French authorities have been contacted for comment.

The leader of Dover District Council, Trevor Bartlett, said: "Alongside the delays for tens of thousands of tourists, the local community is the biggest loser.

"Residents can't get to work, children are stranded on school buses stuck in the mayhem, and businesses are suffering. Stagecoach has suspended bus services in Dover altogether.

He added: "Serious questions need to be asked about how the emergency services would be able to respond to a major incident in Dover when it is completely gridlocked, and how this situation has been allowed to develop yet again?"

Holidaymakers booked on sailings from Dover have reported being stuck in six-hour queues to complete border checks before they can check in for their ferry.

The port said in a statement it had made "significant investment" to increase its capacity, and shared traffic volume forecasts "in granular detail with the French authorities".

Eurotunnel is not affected, but it will not have capacity to take any passengers from Dover.

With most schools in England and Wales breaking up for summer this week, the RAC said an estimated 18.8 million leisure trips were planned in the UK between Friday and Monday.

That is the most since the company began tracking summer getaway numbers in 2014.

'Everything has gone pear shaped'

Francesco Caputo and his three children, aged 12, 11 and 7, are travelling from Southampton to Italy, via Dover, to see family.

"Everything has gone pear shaped," he said, explaining that when he left Southampton in the morning the advice was to arrive two hours before the ferry.

"The ferry we were meant to catch was 7:50am. We arrived two hours before, 1.7 miles from the ferry terminal, but we're not even there now.

"I can see the sea, which is good. But I'm still not in the terminal. I can't see the terminal.

"I've tried to keep the children busy, so far so good. They've been rather patient."

The Port said: "The Dover route remains the most popular sea route to France and France remains one of the key holiday destinations for British families.

"We know that resource is finite, but the popularity of Dover is not a surprise. Regrettably, the PAF [police aux frontieres] resource has been insufficient and has fallen far short of what is required to ensure a smooth first weekend of the peak summer getaway period."

One traveller posted on Twitter: "I'm booked onto 8am ferry from Dover and it's total gridlock. Moved 50 metres per hour.

"At this rate it'll be 34 hours before I get to the port.

"I have a screaming toddler and three-month-old."

Another person attempting to make the Channel crossing said they had been "waiting five hours and still not in the port".

They added: "Sat in lanes waiting to get to border control. Zero movement."

Ferry operator P&O Ferries has advised passengers to arrive prepared with snacks and water, adding: "Please be aware that there is heavy traffic at border control in the port of Dover.

"If you are booked to travel today please allow at least six hours to clear all security checks."

The UK government has blamed French authorities for the delays at Dover.

Europe minister Graham Stewart said some disruption was inevitable because of the scale of traffic.

He said that it was not a Border Force issue - but one for French authorities.

Mr Stewart said: "It's their ability to cope and process people that is causing the backlog."

He said French authorities had added extra booths to process passengers - and that UK ministers had been in touch with French counterparts in recent days.

Ms Elphicke added there had been "weeks of preparation" for an anticipated busy week, by the port, the Department for Transport and Kent Resilience Forum, and "much work with French counterparts too".

She said: "Despite all this, French border officers didn't turn up for work at the passport controls as needed.

"More French officers are reported to be arriving. It's vital that the French passports controls are fully staffed during this peak holiday period."

A spokesman for the Port of Dover said: "We will continue to work with all Kent partners to look after those caught up in the current situation, which could and should have been avoided, and play our part in resolving it as soon as possible.

"Working with and through the UK government, we will also liaise constructively with PAF to work through the present logjam and to stress again the importance of adequate French border resource for the coming days and weeks."

Has your journey been affected by the delays in Dover? You can share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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2022-07-22 10:45:08Z
1498915390

Dover traffic: Port declares critical incident over long queues - BBC

The Port of Dover has declared a "critical incident" due to six-hour queues leading to the ferry terminal.

Chief executive Doug Bannister said the port had been "badly let down" by the French border controls.

He told BBC Radio Kent they were "insufficiently resourced" in France and working slower than normal, causing traffic to queue for miles.

Travellers, some with young children, say they have barely moved for hours as they approach the port.

Francesco Caputo, who is stuck in the queue with his three children, said: "Everything has gone pear shaped."

National Highways said the weekend was expected to be one of the busiest periods of the year for holidaymakers.

Live updates: Travellers warned of six-hour delays at Dover

The Port has accused the French authorities of ruining the summer getaway for thousands of families.

It is understood only six of the 12 passport booths run by the French authorities at Dover are currently open.

Natalie Elphicke, MP for Dover, claimed French border officers "didn't turn up for work".

The leader of Dover District Council, Trevor Bartlett, said: "Alongside the delays for tens of thousands of tourists, the local community is the biggest loser.

"Residents can't get to work, children are stranded on school buses stuck in the mayhem, and businesses are suffering. Stagecoach has suspended bus services in Dover altogether.

Holidaymakers booked on sailings from Dover have reported being stuck in six-hour queues to complete border checks before they can check in for their ferry.

The port said in a statement it had made "significant investment" to increase its capacity, and shared traffic volume forecasts "in granular detail with the French authorities".

Eurotunnel is not affected, but it will not have capacity to take any passengers from Dover.

With most schools in England and Wales breaking up for summer this week, the RAC said an estimated 18.8 million leisure trips were planned in the UK between Friday and Monday.

That is the most since the company began tracking summer getaway numbers in 2014.

'Everything has gone pear shaped'

Francesco Caputo and his three children, aged 12, 11 and 7, are travelling from Southampton to Italy, via Dover, to see family.

"Everything has gone pear shaped," he said, explaining that when he left Southampton in the morning the advice was to arrive two hours before the ferry.

"The ferry we were meant to catch was 7:50am. We arrived two hours before, 1.7 miles from the ferry terminal, but we're not even there now.

"I can see the sea, which is good. But I'm still not in the terminal. I can't see the terminal.

"I've tried to keep the children busy, so far so good. They've been rather patient."

The Port said: "The Dover route remains the most popular sea route to France and France remains one of the key holiday destinations for British families.

One traveller posted on Twitter: "I'm booked onto 8am ferry from Dover and it's total gridlock. Moved 50 metres per hour.

"At this rate it'll be 34 hours before I get to the port.

"I have a screaming toddler and three-month-old."

Another person attempting to make the Channel crossing said they had been "waiting five hours and still not in the port".

They added: "Sat in lanes waiting to get to border control. Zero movement."

Ferry operator P&O Ferries has advised passengers to arrive prepared with snacks and water, adding: "Please be aware that there is heavy traffic at border control in the port of Dover.

"If you are booked to travel today please allow at least six hours to clear all security checks."