Afternoon:
15°c
CROSS-CHANNEL ferry passengers faced major delays today after a check-in system failed at Dover.
Travellers were forced to check in manually, resulting in hold-ups for traffic heading for the port before one of the busiest weekends of the year.
The problem with operator P&O's computers happened at 7.30am and was fixed by 10.30am but there was a large backlog and a knock-on effect for other operators, including SeaFrance, SpeedFerries, LD Lines and Norfolkline, as passengers were held up in jams in surrounding roads.
The M20, A20 and A2 in Kent were all affected. A P&O spokesman said that seven large multi-purpose ferries operating the Dover-Calais route with a capacity to hold about 120 lorries would "hoover up" the backlog and reduce the problems by early afternoon. A Port of Dover spokesman added: "We urge travellers to allow extra time for their journey and apologise for any delays."
Scores of British holidaymakers and expats were evacuated from the tourist town of Mojacar in south-east Spain after a forest fire broke out. About 1,500 people spent the night in shelters as 10 planes and 500 people on the ground tackled the blaze.
