Worried! Advice please about useing the Channel Tunnel

Kel_3

We are due to go on holiday on the 14th August to Holland via the Channel Tunnel. Woke up this morning to the news they had yet more problems on the french side during the night and i'm now getting slightly concerned about our trip .

I'm not worried about the departure journey, but our return journey is at 9pm at night and with delays this would obviously push us further back into the night, when the trouble over there seems to be happening. I believe that the trouble is happening near the freight part, and although I have used the tunnel several times before I can't remember where this is in ralation to the car part and if the trouble is likely to spill over.

Normally i wouldn't worry about this sort of thing as I'm sure the media do build it up, but with 5 children travelling with us, their safety is obviously our main concern.

Just wondered if anyone else is in a similar situation or can offer me some advice on what to do.

Thanks

Kel

richardw

Can u change to an earlier afternoon departure to ease your evening concerns.

Voyager2002

Safety is not any kind of issue: worst case would be long traffic-related delays pushing you late into the night.

Remember that the 'migrants' are people just like you, who felt that they could not live under the rule of ISIS when their towns were taken over. Perhaps you could spare a few minutes to chat with them and reflect on how much more fortunate you are than others like you.

TopQuark

OP, as already suggested, can you bring your departure time forward to be sure of travelling in daylight hours? We travelled the other month to visit my family in the UK (live in Switzerland) and arrived in the early hours of the morning. There were hoards of immigrants trying to break into trucks and attempting to plead with car drivers to let them in. We just tried not to catch their eye and shook our heads. Fortunately no-one tried the doors, but it was somewhat intimidating wondering what would happen if they decided to. If you cannot move the departure, ensure you lock all doors well before you arrive at the motorway exit and try, as much as possible, to keep the vehicle moving.

blindman

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Safety is not any kind of issue: worst case would be long traffic-related delays pushing you late into the night.

Remember that the 'migrants' are people just like you, who felt that they could not live under the rule of ISIS when their towns were taken over. Perhaps you could spare a few minutes to chat with them and reflect on how much more fortunate you are than others like you.

If you could provide the proof of that statement??

If that was the case then why do they not stop at the nearest "safe" country as opposed to travelling through the whole of Europe to get here??


OP
Contact the company to see what advice they give?

However 14t August (and whenever you return ) is a long time away so anything could happen

interstellaflyer

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Remember that the 'migrants' are people just like you, who felt that they could not live under the rule of ISIS when their towns were taken over. Perhaps you could spare a few minutes to chat with them and reflect on how much more fortunate you are than others like you.

Sorry, I don't buy the escape from ISIS argument, if they don't want to live under ISIS then perhaps they should fight it in their own country, plus, they don't have to come all the way to the UK, how about they seek asylum in the first country they come to, I'll tell why they won't, they want free health care, benefits and free housing and that's something other European countries don't offer, sorry if it sounds harsh but I have absolutely no sympathy for these people.

TopQuark

interstellaflyer wrote: »

they want free health care, benefits and free housing and that's something other European countries don't offer,

This is absolute tosh. Almost all other EU countries also offer all of those things and in a fair few of them, the benefits are more generous than in the UK. You may wish to check up on the facts before writing blatant untruths on the internet.

interstellaflyer

TopQuark wrote: »

This is absolute tosh. Almost all other EU countries also offer all of those things and in a fair few of them, the benefits are more generous than in the UK. You may wish to check up on the facts before writing blatant untruths on the internet.

If that's true, why come here? What countries offer free health? When I go to Spain I'm only entitled to free emergency treatment because I have an EHIC card and that's only if I go/get taken to the correct hospital, otherwise I'm on my own unless I have insurance and then I may have to pay so much up front and regardless of facility, if I need any medication I have to pay for it.

Gleeful

interstellaflyer wrote: »

Sorry, I don't buy the escape from ISIS argument, if they don't want to live under ISIS then perhaps they should fight it in their own country, .

Why should they HAVE to fight something that they are not involved with. Why should they risk death?!!! Would you?!!

They speak English so they come to the UK rather than other countries. If you were in their shoes you would want to travel somewhere that you spoke the language, yes?

Nice to see the Daily Fail readers are out in force today.

By the way - those seeking asylum get very limited access to benefits, they aren't entitled to work, or claim JSA. It isn't all a big free for all.

TopQuark

interstellaflyer wrote: »

If that's true, why come here? What countries offer free health? When I go to Spain I'm only entitled to free emergency treatment because I have an EHIC card and that's only if I go/get taken to the correct hospital, otherwise I'm on my own unless I have insurance and then I may have to pay so much up front and regardless of facility, if I need any medication I have to pay for it.

They don't all come here - many go elsewhere. Those that come here likely speak English or else know people already here. The French-speaking ones stay in France, I know this very well as I live on the Franco-Swiss border and am married to a Frenchman whose family live in Provence and Paris. I also work for an international (primarily European) organisation in a team of 13 European nationalities. Every single one speaks of their own countries facing similar issues. In fact, my Greek colleague whose family are in Athens, has had a relative's house squatted by a family of Syrians and the authorities are doing nothing about the situation. To make out like its only a UK problem is BS.

Piggywiggy

Funny that all these refugees appear to be just young men, where are their families?