A town could face a double whammy of traffic trouble this weekend.
Right-wing protestors are set to hold a demonstration in Dover coinciding with one of the busiest days for port traffic as holidaymakers make their summer getaway.
In the worst cases, overspills of traffic have completely clogged up the town centre, while there are also concerns that demonstrators could clash with counter-protestors from the left wing.
The demonstrators are expected to be next to the Marina Pier part of the seafront from midday on Saturday and in the past, hundreds have turned up.
A police spokesperson told KentOnline: “Kent Police is aware of a planned protest expected in Dover on Saturday, July 19.
“The force is liaising with local partner agencies and those involved in the event have been reminded of their obligations to ensure the protest remains peaceful, lawful and that disruption to the local area is kept to a minimum.
“Officers will be monitoring the situation and sufficient resources will be in place to deliver a proportionate police response.”
The protesters under the banner of The Great British National Protest (GBNT), which has other demonstrations in the country, such as Manchester next month.
The group is focused on migration, including the continued crossings of small boats.
Almost 23,000 people arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel in dinghies, according to latest Home Office figures.
Dover is often chosen as the scene for demonstrations due to those in the boats landing at the Western Docks.
The political group’s Facebook page said: “Dover beach will go ahead this Saturday at 12pm. I am calling on all patriots with large followings to join up.”
The group says it has 330,000 followers on social media.
Right-wing protesters in Dover are often confronted by groups supporting migrants and asylum seekers and a heavy police presence is needed to prevent violence.
When the two sides met last April, the incidents amounted to verbal insults but in the worst cases, groups have clashed, leading to mass violence.
On January 30, 2016, there was full-scale rioting leading to 64 people being convicted and jail sentences adding up to 85 years.
The second worst case scenario for Dover on Saturday is total gridlock in the town from a mass of travellers heading for the ferries at the Eastern Docks.
This reaches a peak at the start of the school holidays as the academic year and summer term come to an end early next week.
Cross-channel traffic in Dover can clog up the town when there is peak holiday demand, or at other times of the year when there is a lack of border control staff or strikes in France.
In July 2022, some travellers were left in queues for 15 hours.
This week Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Port of Dover, said that this Saturday, as well as the three days between next Thursday (July 24) and Saturday, would all be busiest period for port traffic, with peak travel times between 5am and 1pm.
He told KentOnline: “The best advice I can give to travellers is, please don’t turn up more than two hours before your sailing and make certain you have a booking before you come down as well.
“Also stick to the main routes, the A2 and A20, to avoid going through the middle of town and potentially clogging that up.
“It takes us a lot longer to unclog the town than it would be if people stuck to the normal routes.
“Make certain you’ve got some drinks and some snacks in the car, some entertainment for the kids, and we’ll get you through just as quickly as possible.”
Mr Bannister stressed there is a large amount of space in the Eastern Docks for waiting cars to help avoid congestion on the roads.
He added: ”We put our plans in place a few months before.
“We make certain that everybody is really clear, all of our partners, about how it’s going to work, what the resourcing requirements would be, and all of our traffic management employees.
“Last summer, we didn’t have traffic spilling outside the port at all.
“We were really clear all summer and that is our objective for how we’re going to manage it.”
KentOnline has contacted protest organisers for further details.
