Ferries disrupted by Calais blockade

Passengers are facing Bank Holiday delays at the Port of Calais following a fresh protest by former workers of a dissolved ferry company.

Protesters - believed to be from former operator MyFerryLink - have blockaded the port with lifeboats, affecting services between France and the UK.

Port of Dover officials said services at the port in northern France were suspended owing to industrial action.

P&O Ferries told passengers it did not know how long delays would last.

The ferry operator told waiting passengers: "We regret to inform you that currently there are no movements permitted in or out of the port for any ferries.

"Protesting crew from the recently dissolved My Ferry Link has blocked the Port entrance.

"This means our ferries cannot leave or enter for the time being. We have no information how long this will last but negotiations are ongoing to resolve the situation as soon as possible."

Operator DFDS Seaways said its Malo Seaways ship was waiting for permission to enter the Port of Calais.

Nicholas Bernier, a passenger on a ferry heading to France, told the BBC the service he was travelling on was stuck about two miles from Calais.

"I'm roughly about two miles from the Port of Calais. We've got about three ferries standing still in front of us and what we were told is that the port is blocked by two lifeboats."

Richard Hill, who is in Calais, said his ferry was unable to leave the port, adding: "Authorities are saying to the captain that they cannot sail past the lifeboats. We are stuck on the ferry along with 2,000 others, luckily we have a seat."

A Port of Dover spokesman said: "We will continue to monitor the situation closely in liaison with our ferry partners and the Port of Calais in order to resume normal operations as soon as possible."

Natacha Bouchart, Mayor of Calais, tweeted her "regret" that the port has been closed and requested firm action was taken.

Eurotunnel, which operates and manages the Channel Tunnel, said it was only accepting passengers with pre-booked tickets on rail services.

It tweeted: "We are unable to sell tickets to any non reserved customers from Calais tonight."

Employees from MyFerryLink have held previous protests, including last month when delays were caused after tyres were set alight near a main road.

The firm ceased ferry operations as of 1 July 2015.

It came after Eurotunnel announced in May this year that it was ending its partnership with cross-Channel ferry service, MyFerryLink.

In January, Eurotunnel was told it must cease its MyFerryLink cross Channel service following a ruling by the Competition Appeal Tribunal./Agencies