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Fishermen lift Channel ferry blockade but Britons stuck in backlog
Peter Allen in Calais16.04.09
FRENCH fishermen today said they would lift their blockade of major Channel ports - ending two days of misery for thousands of stranded Britons.
With a huge backlog of traffic to be cleared, vessels began to move away from the harbour entrances of Calais, Dunkirk and Boulogne.
It followed a late-night deal which saw President Nicolas Sarkozy's government offer the militants up to £4 million in subsidies for this year.
They were originally protesting about fishing quotas, which remain unchanged. "We've decided to lift the blockade, at least for the moment," said a spokesman for the Calais fishermen.
"We still believe we should be allowed to fish far more, but a temporary agreement has been reached and we will not be disrupting shipping traffic for the moment." It came as armed riot police continued to surround the entrance of the Channel Tunnel, following fears that the dispute could spread there.
Squads of CRS officers were drafted into Calais from as far away as Paris, with patrols placed at all motorway intersections. There had been threats that lorries or barricades would be placed across the roads, preventing cars and lorries getting to Britain.
Van driver Keith Smith, of Manchester, said today: "I've been stuck on the side of a French road for three days, but think I'll be able to get out today.
"It's been a ridiculous few days, and the fishermen should be ashamed of the chaos they've caused.
"The authorities should have done more for us too. Blocking harbours should be a criminal offence, but the French harbour police didn't want to know." Michelle Ulyatt, spokeswoman for P&O ferries, confirmed that the blockade had been lifted - at least temporarily. She said everything was being done to get the Pride of Canterbury ferry out of Calais, just in case it was reimposed.
"We're also trying to get our ferries stuck in Dover back over to France," she added. P&O has already said it is preparing a compensation case against the fishermen, and has estimated the cost to its business at about £1 million a day. The fishermen had used a small fleet of boats to lock traffic out of the harbours, employing the Napoleonic tactic of placing a metal cable below the surface.
The dispute began on Tuesday afternoon with lines of boats, some flying pirate flags, stopping Channel traffic.
Calais, used by thousands of passengers and 5,000 lorries a day, soon came to a halt. Entrances to ports were blocked by parked cars and vans or barricades of burning tyres and rubbish. Patrick Haezebruck, a spokesman for France's powerful CGT union, said: "We want fishing quotas to be increased. Fish stocks are flourishing now but small-scale fishing is being killed by the quotas." French Agriculture minister Michel Barnier said there would be no change on quota limits. "If there are quotas it's to preserve fish stocks, to protect fishing in future years," he added.
However, he confirmed the £4 million "hardship" payment for this year.
