P&O Ferries carried more freight between Dover and Calais in the third quarter of the year than ever before in its modern history.

It transported 367,000 haulage vehicles across the English Channel between July and September - a 30% increase on the same period last year and the best single quarter since 2003.

September alone was the best single month for freight since 2003, with 129,500 units transported between Britain and France.

The figure surpassed the previous monthly record of 123,000 which was set in July this year.

Freight takes up around two-thirds of P&O Ferries’ business, with tourists accounting for a third.

“This quarter has been unprecedented, with the strike by French seamen and the temporary closure of the port of Calais bringing major logistical challenges..." - Helen Deeble, P&O Ferries

Helen Deeble, chief executive of P&O Ferries, said: “These figures reinforce the importance of the cross-Channel ferry industry to the hundreds of thousands of businesses which rely on the efficient transportation of goods between Britain and France.

“This quarter has been unprecedented, with the strike by French seamen and the temporary closure of the port of Calais bringing major logistical challenges.

“I am very proud that everyone at P&O Ferries has risen to that challenge and helped to keep exceptional volumes of freight moving across the Channel.”

“Demand for cross-Channel transport is only going to increase, driven by a rising population and a recovering economy.

“We have increased the number of sailings we make between Dover and Calais to 58 a day and brought a sixth ship back into service on the route in order to make sure that we are best placed to meet that demand.”