FCDO Warn Travel Disruption Leading to May Day

Following warnings from the government surrounding protests in France and the Border Force strikes to come over the popular holiday period, the FCDO have released a further warning about potential disruptions to come on May Day weekend.  

There have been several instances of Border Force strikes over the past few months, predominantly surrounding bank holidays. These have been sufficiently pre-warned and proved to affect some delays for UK travellers. Another is scheduled for the May Day Bank Holiday weekend. This will coincide with the current protests in France surrounding pension reforms.  

Over the past month, over 1 million French citizens have taken part in the protests in the streets of Paris and other influential French cities, all concerning the pension age rising for those that reside in France. This may have an effect on travellers looking to visit the tourist hotspot in the coming long weekend. 

The FCDO has warned travellers that the trade unions have announced, “large scale demonstrations and co-ordinated industrial action” that will take play on May Day, the 1st of the month and a bank holiday. This update and warning for those who could be affected in many areas including transport has been released on the Foreign Travel Advice page.  

“Industrial action may start the evening before the strike day and run for several days. You should monitor the media, check the latest advice with operators before travelling, avoid demonstrations and follow the advice of local authorities,” the FCDO said in its warning. 

“There may be delays when travelling from France, including Calais, Dunkirk and/ or the Channel Tunnel,” they added, advising travellers attempting to cross the Channel that they may face difficulties on Friday the 28th of April because of the Border Force strikes. Travellers are advised to check with their travel provider before travelling to stay updated on potential delays. 

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