The Port of Dover has seen a big increase in freight traffic during the first six months of this year - while Eurotunnel has seen a drop.

That's according to the latest figures released by Dover Harbour Board and revealed in the Dover Mercury this week.

The port's chief executive Tim Waggott said Dover remained Europe’s busiest ferry port, leading the way in the cross-Channel freight market with an 11% increase in the first six months of 2013.

"The strong performance from the Port of Dover team has seen the port and its ferry partners working hard together and taking over 60% of market share in the same period. Eurotunnel’s truck volumes have dropped by 7% in this key market," he said.

In the first six months of the year the number of passengers increased by 3% to 5,584,780 compared with the same period last year, cars were up 1.8% at 974,892 and coaches were up 5.8% to 45,980.

But the biggest increase was in lorries, which increased by 11.3% to 1,072,089. Most of this increase was in the period from April to June.

All this resulted in a huge rise in the number of ferry sailings, with the number of ferry entries up from 7,488 to 9,453, an increase of 26.2%.

If this trend continues, the figures for the whole year could show a slight increase, rather than the decline of the past two years.

Mr Waggott said: “Such growth reflects the confidence of our customers in the excellent facilities and services we are all striving to deliver.”

"The port’s £85 million capital plan with the transformational Traffic Management Improvement Project that will enhance the efficiency and resilience of the port operation.

"The new and free WiFi service and the clear commitment to be the best port in world for the benefit of its customers are all beginning to pay dividends as belief in the port grows, just like the traffic!"

Figures for the second half of the year got off to a good start, too, with one of the busiest weekends of the year at the end of July, as people headed off to the continent for their summer holidays.

More than 285,400 passengers passed through the docks between July 26 and 29, more than would normally be handled in an average week.

Meanwhile, the port bosses have fired another broadside at the Channel tunnel, asking people if they would rather be sailing off with a glass of something in hand to toast the start of a relaxing holiday as the backdrop of the beautiful White Cliffs of Dover gradually fade from view and you glide across the glistening English Channel on one of Dover’s luxury ferries or be "buried underground and stuck in your car".