Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Sep 01, 2025

France deploys firefighters to help truckers trapped in Dover

France deploys firefighters to help truckers trapped in Dover

Thousands of truck drivers are likely to spend Christmas Day inside their cabs while stranded in Dover. France wants them to get tested for coronavirus before crossing the English Channel.

A team of 26 French firefighters has been deployed to UK port city of Dover to help the UK "accelerate" the return of European citizens, French authorities said on Thursday. France also shipped out 10,000 coronavirus tests in a bid to tackle the backlog of trucks trapped at the port over fears about the spread of the new coronavirus variant.

French fire fighters and civil defense volunteers would help test truckers in Dover, French authorities said.

British and French authorities have agreed to keep the border between the countries open throughout Christmas, including rail and sea links, to help motorists and travelers return home. Additional staff members agreed to work during the holiday.

"Normally, we close on the 25th, but now, given the situation, the port will remain open," said Jean-Marc Puissesseau, president of the French ports of Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Thousands tested, three positive


The French government abruptly cut the flow of freight trucks from the UK on Sunday, asking for motorists to provide a negative coronavirus tests.

As a result, thousands of drivers have already spent several nights sleeping inside their vehicles close to the major cross-Channel port of Dover. Many of them are stranded on the nearby roads in the southeastern county of Kent or the old Manston airport which had been converted to a testing site.

The French ban comes after the labs in the UK detected an outbreak of a new and more transmittable coronavirus variant.

UK transport minister Grant Shapps confirmed the decision for borders to remain open: "We've agreed the UK/French border at Eurotunnel, Dover and Calais will remain open throughout Xmas in order to help hauliers & citizens return home as soon as possible," he tweeted, adding that of the 2,367 virus tests administered at the port as of Thursday afternoon, just three turned out positive.


Truckers likely to spend Christmas stranded


On Wednesday, UK officials said there were around 6,000 trucks waiting to cross the border. While some of them have since continued their journey, officials warned the backlogcould take days to clear and that many drivers will likely spend Christmas waiting inside their vehicles.

France's temporary shutdown of the border triggered concern across Europe as France acts as a major channel for trade and travel between the UK and mainland Europe. The UK relies on France for food at this time of year, especially fresh fruit and vegetables.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×