Disruption at Port of Dover as masked men hold protest

- Published

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 has been stopped from going in and out of the port.

Images from the scene appear to show hundreds of protesters, all dressed in black and wearing face coverings.

P&O Ferries 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 and delays of up to 30 minutes.

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.

Paul King, Reform UK councillor for Dover West, said he had been told the demonstration was a "stop the boats protest".

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.

Port of Dover said the "ongoing public order incident" was affecting all routes in and out of 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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