MP warns British tourists 'could die' in 12 hour queues in Kent unless EU suspends new border checks

Published: 09:50, 13 July 2026 | Updated: 09:52, 13 July 2026 British tourists could die in 12 hour queues in Kent unless the EU suspends the roll-out of new post-Brexit border rules, an MP has claimed. Sir Roger Gale, Conservative MP for Herne Bay & Sandwich, warned a backlog of traffic would mean ambulances are unable to reach medical emergencies - while travellers are stuck in their vehicles. The government has announced more French guards will be deployed at border points in a bid to soften delays caused by the EU's new entry/exit system (EES). It comes as the strict controls, which became fully operational in April, have been blamed for now accounting for more than a third of delays on UK-EU flights amid claims a number of hubs do not have enough infrastructure and staff to deal with passenger levels. Under the system, the EU requires non-EU citizens to give their biometric details - which include a facial photograph and fingerprints - before entering the bloc's free movement Schengen zone. When travelling by air, this usually happens after landing at electronic booths and passport kiosks. At the ports of Dover and Folkestone, before crossing into France, the checks happen this side of the Channel, meaning long queues of cars can form in Kent. Last month, chief executive of the Port of Dover, Doug Bannister, foretold of 'severe congestion' over the summer - with around 12,000 vehicles a day expected. Sir Roger has now echoed his concern - adding that passengers could potentially die due to the backlog. British tourists could die in 12 hours queues in Kent unless the EU suspends the roll-out of new post-Brexit border rules, an MP has claimed. The port of Dover is pictured Sir Roger Gale (pictured), Conservative MP for Herne Bay & Sandwich, warned a backlog of traffic would mean ambulances are unable to reach medical emergencies He told the Times: 'If you have elderly people, children and dogs in 12-hour queues with no lavatory facilities, inadequate water supplies, somebody will die, somebody will have a heart attack. I'm not overbegging it. This is the stark reality.' Sir Roger added the extra officers promised were 'not adequate'. Questioning 'how you get an ambulance through traffic jams like that,' he said: 'People will say, "oh Roger Gale is being alarmist", but it is because Roger Gale is alarmed. 'I don't want this to happen. Put the system on ice, get the technology right, make it work and then introduce it properly.' There are fears that once the peak summer season gets underway, and passenger numbers spike, there could be queues of longer than five hours at some hubs. UK passengers were left stranded in an Italian airport in April due to the EES system. Around 100 passengers due to return to Manchester Airport on an EasyJet flight from Milan's Linate airport were stuck in three-hour queues as their flight departed without them. Plans by Greece, Portugal and Italy to exempt Britons, who the system applies to because of Brexit, this summer have previously been rebuffed by Brussels. During the May bank holiday, French police temporarily suspended extra checks in Dover after queues reached four and a half hours. Traffic modelling suggested delays of up to 12 hours were possible at one stage in the worst-case scenario - however this was later revised to between six and eight. Amid preparations, the Department for Transport will use Lydden Hill Race Circuit, a rallycross venue about ten miles from the Port of Dover, as a holding area for traffic in the event of major disruption. Extra traffic marshals are also being drafted in. Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, said: 'We are doing everything in our power to keep holidaymakers and hauliers moving, and we are grateful to the French authorities for their close collaboration in helping to minimise disruption.'