FERRY services from Dover are back to normal today after French fishermen called off their blockade of Calais and Dunkerque.

All services between Dover and the continent were suspended yesterday when the fishermen staged another protest to complain about the areas in which they are allowed to operate.

Some ferries were trapped in Calais, others were kept in Dover, and some which had sailed for France turned back to Dover as a result of the protest action.

Operations Stack was brought into use on the M20 as traffic to Dover built up, and at one stage there was 10 miles of queuing traffic.

But the French fishermen ended their action last night, and ferry services have been returning to normal overnight.

Geoff Dossetter of the Freight Transport Association said his members were angry. "Here we go again - on a very busy Thursday at the very busiest time of the year, the international haulage undustry as well as large numbers of Christmas shoppers have been severely disrupted by the actions of militant French fishermen.

"As ever, we remain angry and frustrated that these people can get away with this wildcat action. The combination of Operation Stack and suspended sailings is a dead loss cost to those who journey has been delayed. It is like having rows of £10 notes being lined up on the roadside.

"Previous experience suggests that the closure of Calais for a day imposes a cost of around £1 million on the transport industry."