Staff and pupils at a York school have been stuck in the coach chaos at Dover.
They are on a skiiing trip to Austria, and set off on Saturday (1 April).
But they made slow progress due to the huge delays waiting for a ferry crossing at the Kent port.
Coach passengers were forced to spend hours waiting to enter the port, be processed and board ferries over the weekend.
Disruption at the port was first reported on Friday when the port declared a critical incident and said the delays were “due to lengthy French border processes and sheer volume”.
Millthorpe School parents were kept informed of the ski trip progress via the school’s Twitter account.
Just before 4pm yesterday, they said: “The coaches are now in the queue in sight of the check in though things are moving very slowly so we don’t yet know what sailing they will be on.
“The students are holding up incredibly well, spirits are good and at the moment we’re hoping and expecting to carry on with the trip but at the same time, we’re exploring different contingencies that might be necessary and we’ll keep you informed.
“Hoping to have pizzas delivered to the coach later on.”
An update at 5.24pm said: “Ski trip – another quick update: They’re not too far from the ferry now, the children are still in good spirits so as things stand, they’re still planning to travel.”
Shortly before 8pm, came this: “SKI TRIP UPDATE! We are sailing soon and have made arrangements to stay in a hotel for bed and breakfast once we get over the channel.
“We’ll make sure everyone has enough to eat and drink. Thanks for your patience everyone.”
The hotel selected was in Germany, the trip organisers said.
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The latest update at the time of writing was at 9.54pm: “Progress is being made but it’s slow. We appreciate that it must be increasingly challenging for everyone on board the coaches.
“We’re monitoring the situation closely and liaising with staff on the trip and will keep all options under consideration.”
Queues at the entrance to the Port of Dover have cleared after a weekend of disruption today (Monday), according to one of the ferry companies hit by delays.
This morning P&O Ferries tweeted: “There are no longer any queues at the entrance to the Port of Dover. We apologise for the wait times experienced this weekend.”
Home Secretary Suella Braverman rejected suggestions that Brexit could be the cause of delays at the port as passengers endured long queues and cancelled trips.
Ms Braverman said it would not be fair to view the delays as “an adverse effect of Brexit”.
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