The UK town gridlocked on same days each year leaving locals trapped in their homes

A beautiful UK town boasting scenic coastal views turns into a traffic nightmare for local residents each time a bank holiday approaches. Locals living in Folkestone and nearby Hawkinge say they are either trapped inside their homes or start their journeys in advance as the long delays at the Port of Dover cause a massive “gridlock”.

This is because the M20, which passes through Folkestone to get to Dover, becomes gridlocked with lorries heading to the port.

The increased checks and security over the route have also added to the chaos, residents say.

Laura Poulton, a resident of the town, spoke about the recent Bank Holiday and how the town was a complete mess due to poor traffic management.

She told Express.co.uk: “It has a domino effect for sure, coupled with the Lorries that try to take short cuts which then cause further issues for the more rural residents.

“I live in a residential area just off of the Castle Hill Interchange, these traffic issues leave us unable to drive anywhere, for example, a simple 10-minute journey to the supermarket could take an hour. We simply don’t or can’t get out that day.

“It’s widespread across Folkestone, Cheriton, and Hawkinge for example. If I recall last time it happened it was blamed on the French not having enough staff on, I may add this is not a Brexit problem it has been going on for decades.

“It seems to me poor traffic management for the amount of vehicles passing through Kent.”

Chris Johnson, chairman of Hawkinge District Council, delivered a presentation to the authorities about the issue, adding how the poor management has led to an “impact on the local community.”

He told Express.co.uk: “It is same every time. Rounds around the motorway get blocked and affect all the villages. A lot of people say, especially retired people, they will stay inside and they will not prefer to go anywhere.

“Summer holidays are not too far away and we worry that it may happen again. In October, we have the new CC entry and exit system which means anybody going to the Port first time will have to submit fingerprints.”

During the meeting, he said: “The immediate effect of closing the tunnel and diverting the traffic off is a traffic queue from Junction 13, along Churchill Avenue, up Hawkinge Hill to the roundabout at the bottom of Spitfire Way and the slip road back onto the A20.

“Roads in Folkestone are quickly gridlocked, and the blockage spreads outwards. Passenger traffic is mixed with freight and suffers the same delay. Lorries sometimes stop on the Spitfire Way roundabout and block traffic in the Folkestone direction which doubles the problem.

"Despite writing to Kent Resilience Forum, no-one has told me why port traffic can’t be held at J13 and drip-fed up the A20 when there is space at the end of the TAP queue. Local traffic could then still use the usual route and the Round Hill tunnel.

“You can imagine the chaos caused by convoys of cars, or even artics and coaches, on these width-restricted roads. Last year their visitor numbers at Easter were down by a half to two-thirds, reducing income from entrance charges. Numbers were still down even after roads had cleared, due to adverse publicity and the perception that east Kent was shut.”

The A20 Roundhill Tunnel was closed eastbound between the M20 (J13/A259/A2034) and the A260 near Folkestone, according to National Highways. This closure wass in place to prevent traffic queueing inside the tunnel following the delays at Dover.

Operation Brock sees lorries heading to Dover queue on one side of the M20, with the other carriageway operating as a contraflow. It covers a 13-mile (20.9km) section of the motorway between junctions eight (Maidstone) and nine (Ashford).

A Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF) spokesperson said: “Our number one priority is always to protect people and the communities in which they live, and we are sorry that, once again, the unacceptable traffic problems on the routes through Kent to the Port of Dover had such an impact on local residents.

“Unfortunately, until these issues are recognised and action is taken to find longer-term, more effective solutions to prevent delays on the routes through Kent to Europe, Operation Brock and Dover Tap are the only tools available to KMRF partners to try to mitigate any problems, and this is what we do to the very best of our ability.

“Towards the end of this year the EU will be introducing EES (Entry Exit System) checks at the border, which means it will take passengers far longer to be processed and make their way to Europe. We know that this will cause further disruption on our roads, and that passengers crossing the channel could delayed for many hours.

“We want to reassure the residents and businesses and those travelling through the county that we will continue to lobby Central Government at every opportunity to find and fund the solutions that Kent, the gateway to Europe, needs to put an end to the disruption in our county.”