British holidaymakers heading for European summer breaks, could face the return to trade disruption, the head of Britain's biggest ferry port said, calling on the UK government to urgently reconsider funding to redevelop Dover to prevent long-term damage.

The Port of Dover is a hugely important port for Irish exports (see related story) and imports into the continent, despite the opening of direct sea routes to France.

Britain's passage out of the EU was eased by a lack of tourist traffic to France during the Covid-19 pandemic, enabling port staff to process the extra paperwork now required for trucks to access Europe and keep goods moving.

But the UK government dropped a travel quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated cirizens this week, potentially increasing the number of vehicles that could descend on the port over the summer holiday months.

A pre-Brexit trade rush led to 32km queues, but Doug Bannister, CEO of the Port of Dover, told Reuters the site had so far managed the switch to customs checks well, after Britain left the EU trade bloc at the end of 2020.

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