French ports blockaded

Anyone planning on a ferry trip to France in order to stock up for Christmas is warned that French fishermen are planning to blockade some major Channel ports this week. Fishermen protesting against cuts in catch quotas are planning to prevent any ships from docking in French ports between 7.30am and 4pm. The Daily Express reports that Calais, Boulogne and Dunkirk ports are likely to be blocked today and tomorrow, while there has also been action at Cherbourg and Le Havre. The newspaper reports, however, that P&O has already come up with a cunning plan; so-called “mini-cruises” that sail out into French waters, at which point passengers are entitled to buy goods at discounted prices. A spokesman for the ferry company told the newspaper: “We have pledged to ensure day-trippers can carry on shopping. We are determined to offer a service to day trippers and we will pull out all the stops.”