UK News 31-08-2000 Chaos Of Calais Blockade who: French fishermen what: Halt cross-Channel traffic in fuel price protest where: Calais when: Yesterday snippet: "Ten thousand Brits were devastated last night after the French fishermen`s blockade of Channel ports wrecked their holidays," says The Sun`s Jamie Pyatt. "Fourteen boats encircled Calais and hundreds of others brought other ports to a standstill". Fisherman from 14 trawlers in Calais started a fuel price protest yesterday morning which rapidly spread along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, including Boulogne and Dunkirk. And the blockade had an immediate effect on travellers to and from Britain and Ireland. "As huge traffic delays built up in Dover, police closed the M20 between junctions 11 and 12 for use as a giant lorry park," says The Mirror. "Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Folkestone were also hit by the action". "The chaos is likely to get worse by the weekend," says The Times. "French hauliers, farmers, taxi drivers, ambulance owners and motorcyclists are all preparing to throw their weight behind the campaign to cut the price of diesel". "Why don`t the ferries just ram them out of the way?" says a frustrated Malcolm Richardson, 42, from Birmingham, quoted in The Mirror. "I`ve just travelled from Thailand and I have come through 11 countries," complains David Langford, 28, from King`s Lynn in The Independent. "It is always France that causes the trouble. It is typical that it all messes up when I am 23 miles from England." [... more]

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