Disruption at Port of Dover as masked men hold protest

There is major disruption at the Port of Dover due to a large group of masked men holding a demonstration.

Kent Police said it was aware of a demonstration currently taking place at the ferry terminal and was "engaging with protesters".

Traffic was initially stopped from going in and out of the port but P&O Ferries said access had been restored via the A2. Road access remains restricted via the A20.

Paul King, Reform UK councillor for Dover West, said he had been told the demonstration was a "stop the boats protest", while images from the scene appear to show hundreds of protesters, all dressed in black and wearing face coverings.

Police are marching protesters towards Dover Priory railway station. The demonstrators have been chanting: "Stop the boats".

P&O said it would get passengers on to the next available sailing if they missed their scheduled crossing.

Ferry operator DFDS said it was aware of the "current traffic disruption" and would accommodate passengers on the next departure once they arrived.

Traffic is stopped in both directions on the A20, between the A256 York Street and the A2 Jubilee Way in Dover, according to National Highways.

It is reporting three miles (4.8km) of congestion on the A20 and a further mile of tailbacks on the M20.

Dover and Deal MP Mike Tapp told the BBC the incident was causing "absolutely awful disruption" for residents.

"My understanding is, a number of individuals have travelled to the area, wearing black, wearing balaclavas, and have blocked a number of roads leading into the port area," he said.

Tapp added on Facebook: "I am fed up with idiots coming to Dover to cause disruption.

"I bet if you asked any one of those 'protesters' they wouldn't know small boat crossing are down by 40% and we are working hard to fix the mess."

Kent Police has not yet commented on who is behind the protest.

Remco van Schellen arrived from the Netherlands at about 08:00 BST but when "we wanted to leave the ferry terminal with the car, we couldn't go any further".

"There were people blocking the roads, the roundabout, just outside of the ferry terminal in Dover," he said.

"There were people in black clothing, their faces masked, so we couldn't see who they were."

Chris Vinson, leader of the Conservative group on Dover District Council, said: "Overnight, clearly what appears to be several hundred masked men, wearing black clothing and balaclavas, seem to have coordinated and loaded into rental vans and then descended on roads leading in and out of Dover."

He said the protest appears to be "illegal migration-related" but added that demonstrators do not appear to have placards or banners.

People who worked night shifts at the port have been "prevented from leaving for fears for their safety", Vinson added.

Port of Dover said the "ongoing public order incident" was affecting traffic at the port and town.

In a statement, it added: "We are in contact with Kent Police to understand the situation.

"This situation is impacting our local community and our customers, so of course we are hoping for a swift resolution."

Dover is the UK's busiest international ferry and passenger port, dealing with more than nine million passengers by road and two million freight vehicles in 2025, according to the port's website.

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