Dover council leader says police response to port protest was slow

Council leader Kevin Mills said the police were slow to keep roads and transport networks open during a protest that halted activity at the Port of Dover on Saturday. He told the BBC that demonstrators "caught several agencies on the hoof" and that the police appeared "quite slow to keep the roads and the networks open, which is disappointing". Mills added that the protest was well-planned and that a post-event review was needed.

Hundreds of masked men chanting "stop the boats" blocked access roads, creating long traffic queues and preventing entry to the port. Kent Police, which said no arrests were made and described the event as a "spontaneous protest", has not commented on the identity of the organisers. The protest lasted from about 07:00 to 11:30 BST.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, speaking on BBC radio, said officers had dealt with the situation swiftly but condemned the "intimidatory behaviour" displayed by the protesters. He expressed sympathy for residents and travellers affected by the disruption.

Anti-hate group Hope Not Hate attributed the demonstration to the Patriot Platform network, which it says brought together anti-migration activists from across the country. Some demonstrators declined media interviews, while far-right figures such as Tommy Robinson and Danny Thomas praised the protest on social media.

Council officials also reported complaints from residents of Preston, where vehicles associated with the protest were parked before the march entered the town.