THE port of Calais has re-opened after strike action by French workers but on this side of the Channel companies were left counting the cost.

Operation Stack had been operating since around 3.30pm on Tuesday.

On Wednesday night vehicles were being moved to the port as capacity become available but some freight was still arriving at the back of the managed queue of traffic.

The police and Highways Agency traffic officers, along with help from Kent County Council, provided food, water and toilet facilities to help ensure the welfare of drivers caught up in the delays.

Both P&O Ferries and SeaFrance had to suspend ferry sailings between Dover and Calais when French workers went on strike.

Norfolkline sailings to Dunkirk and SpeedFerries services to Boulogne were not affected.

Regular traffic updates can be heard by tuning into your local kmfm radio station.

Meanwhile, Richard Ashworth, MEP (Con) has condemned the strike action.

He said: “The French know that any industrial action at Calais will cause massive disruption across the Channel - that’s why they do it. I have asked the European Commission for assistance in finding a solution because our free passage into and out of the EU is being severely hampered because France cannot get a grip on militant trade unionists.”