LONDON — British border agents Sunday to helped French officials ease the backups for travelers trying to cross the English Channel by ferry into France.
By Sunday afternoon, police said the backlog that saw some motorists waiting up to 10 hours or more had eased but that delays and disruptions can be expected on the route for the next few weeks.
The delays in Channel crossings come at the start of the British holiday season, when tens of thousands of vacationers head to continental Europe.
French officials have expanded border checks during the state of emergency declared after repeated extremist attacks.
Travelers were advised to bring extra water and food on any journey involving a Channel crossing. The weather has been hot and humid.
Volunteers were delivering granola bars and bottled water to motorists, and police helicopters were dropping water bottles to help the stranded travelers.
Volunteer Ravi Singh said motorists were “very, very frustrated and pulling their hair out.”
“We met a lot of young families with children,” he said. “There was just total frustration.”