New slip road aids port traffic

Up to 80,000 passengers are expected to pass through the port this weekend

A £4.5m slip road is being opened at a Kent port, ensuring a much smoother getaway for ferry passengers.

Cars and lorries leaving the Port of Dover will be able to access the A2 and A20 roads far quicker than before.

Dover Harbour Board has estimated that the road will save freight operators about £12,000 a day due to the faster exit times.

The road is opening ahead of one of the busiest weekends of the year, when families head off for summer holidays.

Robin Dodridge, of Dover Harbour Board, said previously at peak times it had taken about eight minutes for a truck to get out of the port.

"That will be down to about 90 seconds or thereabouts. The typical time you might wait at just one set of traffic lights - so this is like cutting out five others," he said.