Drivers headed to the port continue to face Christmas getaway chaos after last-minute strikes halted rail services through the Channel Tunnel.

Yesterday’s unexpected industrial action in France affected Eurostar – which operates passenger services to and from London St Pancras – and Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, which runs vehicle-carrying trains to and from Folkestone.

The M20 coastbound remains closed from Junction 8 to Junction 9 while it is being used to hold lorries heading for the channel crossings on what is one of the busiest days of the year for travel.

But Kent County Council’s highways team posted after 7pm this evening to say all the remaining vehicles that were held in Operation Brock Zero on the M20 have now been released.

It means National Highways will remove the closure “over the next couple of hours” and reopen the road between the two junctions.

The after-effects of the last-minute strike action saw “exceptionally heavy traffic” at the Port of Dover, with long delays and roads in Dover gridlocked earlier. Dover Tap remains in place along the A20 or the time being.

Roads approaching the port snarled up, with drivers getting out of their cars in Maison Dieu Road as queues continued to build.

Stagecoach says it is “attempting to run services back into Dover town centre” this afternoon but has warned of delays.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, the Port of Dover said: “We apologise but only drivers and their passengers with advance bookings will be able to travel.

“Car drivers using the A20 must use lane two only.”

The Port of Dover has confirmed waiting times are decreasing – though travellers can still expect delays of up to an hour.

Bosses at the port had previously said there was a 90-minute wait time ahead of French border controls for tourists as it continues to clear disruption caused by industrial action.

Shortly before 6.30pm they issued an update to say waiting times were now down to around 15-20 minutes.

Dover MP Natalie Elphicke says the overnight chaos in Dover was “completely unacceptable”.

“Kent Resilience Forum and Kent Highways failed to manage traffic appropriately in the town,” she said.

“I will be taking this up with them.

“This also underlines Kent Highways’ planned routing for the Dover FastTrack system via Maison Dieu Road, where the traffic was at its worst, is flawed and needs to be changed.”

The A20 Roundhill Tunnel is closed heading coastbound to avoid queuing traffic as a result of the Dover Tap scheme, which is currently active.

Meanwhile, LeShuttle says its service is operating to schedule in both directions.

“Please check in no earlier than two hours and no later than one hour before your booked crossing time,” it said.

Terminals had been shut yesterday and services suspended since about midday, causing travel bedlam.

At least 30 Eurostar trains were cancelled and services were not due to start up again until this morning.

Le Shuttle services resumed “progressively” yesterday evening after Eurotunnel management brokered a deal with trade union representatives.

The precise terms of this agreement have not been revealed. But a spokesman for Eurotunnel said: “Eurotunnel welcomes this agreement and reiterates its apologies to all LeShuttle customers as well as Eurostar passengers and rail freight operators whose traffic has been impacted by this strike.”

However, while rail links are set to start up again, thousands continue to face Christmas getaway disruption – including those stuck on Kent’s road.

The walk-out by French staff had forced police to shut the coastbound carriageway between Junction 8 for Leeds Castle and Junction 9 for Ashford. The force has so far not confirmed when it will reopen.

Officers said earlier the closure is allowing freight bound for the continent to queue on the empty section of the motorway to keep “any disruption to Kent’s wider road network to a minimum”.

All freight traffic wishing to cross the Channel must join Operation Brock – with non-freight traffic being diverted along the A20 to Ashford.