Ferry companies expect thousands to try to travel this weekend

Two berths at the port were closed 10 days ago after a cable snapped, leaving just two for P&O and SeaFrance services to and from Dover to use.

P&O said it expected 50,000 passengers, many of them families with children, to try to return to Britain this weekend.

SeaFrance said over 160 coaches and 1,000 cars were expected on Saturday.

We are a million-pound-a-day business and goodness knows how much we have lost Brian Reece

"Saturday is going to be extremely heavy with returning vacationers and Sunday will be very heavy with freight vehicles," SeaFrance spokeswoman Muriel Mironneau warned.

P&O said only four out of six ships are able to dock at Calais and warned travellers to expect continued disruption over the weekend.

The company said it was preparing a multi-million pound compensation claim for the "unprecedented" problems.

"We will concentrate on the operational matters at the moment - getting people away and getting sorted out - but the point will come where it is bound to be a compensation issue," said spokesman Brian Reece.

"We are a million-pound-a-day business and goodness knows how much we have lost."

Kent Police lifted Operation Stack on the M20 just before 2100 GMT on Friday, allowing lorries to move into Dover.

During most of the day they had been parked on the motorway between junctions 11 and 12 coastbound.

On the other side of the Channel, hundreds of trucks were backed up for more than three miles leading into Calais for much of the week.