P&O Ferries takes action following Channel Tunnel fire

P&O Ferries has put a number of measures in place to help deal with the aftermath of the fire in the Channel Tunnel that firefighters tackled today (September 12th).

The company said that it had fully manned its ferry crossings between Dover and Calais overnight to ensure that they can operate at full capacity.

It is also looking at the possibility of increasing the frequency of its service from 28 return ferry crossings per day to 30 by Saturday morning.

Passengers who were planning to travel through the Channel Tunnel were advised to rebook with P&O Ferries to ensure they have a reservation, rather than simply turning up at Dover or Calais.

Chris Laming, the company's communications director, said: "We obviously have to prioritise our own customers but we do have the capacity to carry tunnel traffic, particularly on departures at off-peak periods during the day.

"People will need to be patient but we're out of the school holidays now, there are no bank holidays, so we will get people away. Clearing the backlog of freight that builds up is the more difficult challenge, and we urge hauliers to consider our other services to the Continent across the North Sea at this time."

Ferry crossings provided by the likes of P&O Ferries and SeaFrance could prove useful for some time after it was reported that the damage caused by the tunnel fire could take months to repair.