Shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy said “a range of factors” have caused the delays, but she claimed the Government had not planned for what was going to happen post-Brexit.

She told Sophy Ridge On Sunday that ministers had “known for a very long time that they needed to make sure that there were resources in place to deal with additional paperwork checks”.

She added: “The point is not whether we left the European Union or not. The point was that we left with a Government that made big promises and once again didn’t deliver.

“I really feel for the families that are trying to get away for a Easter break, people who have been caught up in this chaos, people whose livelihoods are threatened.

“It didn’t need to be this way.

“If the Government got a grip, got down to brass tacks and started doing their actual job, all these things could be avoided.”

The Port of Dover has said border processing times are now at around four hours.

The delays coincided with the start of the Easter holidays for many schools, which brought a surge of coaches to the Kent port

The Port of Dover declared a Critical Incident and says it “has been working round the clock with the ferry operators and border agencies to get coach passengers on their way, with extra sailings being put on overnight to help clear the backlog”.

There is no longer any backlog of cars and trucks, but the statement from the port added: “There remain pockets of coaches still waiting to be processed with smaller volumes of coaches expected today.”

Our travel correspondent Simon Calder reports:

Labour’s Keir Starmer urged the government to “get a grip” on the situation at Dover as coach traffic faced “significant delays” that could last up to 16 hours.

Thousands of travellers were queuing at the port as the Easter getaway begins, after a critical incident was declared overnight on Friday.

Operators P&O Ferries and DFDS Seaways reported delays to ferry and coach services, citing bad weather and hold-ups at French border controls as partly responsible.

Later on Saturday morning, a spokesperson said that queues were easing.

Simon Calder, also known as The Man Who Pays His Way, explains the reason behind the hours-long queues at Dover this weekend.

When it’s the start of the Easter holidays and you’re a transport hub and you’re trending on Twitter, you know things are not going well.

Thousands of coach passengers endured a miserable wait, many of them through the night. Factors as diverse as stormy weather and the French were blamed for preventing travellers from getting away on much-needed holidays.

The Liberal Democrats’ home affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said Suella Braverman’s denial of Brexit issues show she “is in complete denial about the impact of the Conservative government’s botched deal with Europe on our borders”.

He added: “For Conservative ministers like Braverman, it is always someone else’s fault. Businesses and travellers are being tied up in reams of red tape but ministers are refusing to lift a finger. It shows the Conservative Party is out of touch, out of excuses and should be out of power.”

The Port of Dover has said it has been working ‘round the clock’ to help clear the hours-long queues that have crippled travel to France this weekend.

In a statement, it said: “The Port of Dover has been working round the clock with the ferry operators and border agencies to get coach passengers on their way, with extra sailings being put on overnight to help clear the backlog.

“Over 300 coaches departed the port on Saturday, with all of the freight backlog cleared and tourist cars processed successfully.There remain pockets of coaches still waiting to be processed with smaller volumes of coaches expected today.

“The Port remains deeply frustrated by the continuing situation caused by a mix of lengthy immigration processes at the border and sheer volume of traffic, particularly on behalf of those who have waited for such a long time.

“Minimal freight is expected today and so the focus remains on ensuring all partners work to get the remaining coaches and other tourist traffic on its way as soon as possible.

“We continue to offer our sincere apologies for the prolonged delays.”

Shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy said the government had not planned for what was going to happen post-Brexit.

Asked about whether Brexit is a factor in the delays at Dover, she told the Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme on Sky News: “There are clearly a range of factors that have gone into the delays here, and we’ve seen them before, but the government has known for a very long time that they needed to make sure that there were resources in place to deal with additional paperwork checks.

“The point is not whether we left the European Union or not. The point was that we left with a government that made big promises and once again didn’t deliver.

“And I really feel for the families that are trying to get away for a Easter break, people who have been caught up in this chaos, people whose livelihoods are threatened.

“It didn’t need to be this way.

“And if the government got a grip, got down to brass tacks and started doing their actual job, all these things could be avoided.”

The home secretary claimed it was “unfair” to blame the post-Brexit passport checks for the chaos as the port as Easter holidaymakers get stuck in misery at the border with France.

Extra sailings ran overnight from Dover to Calais to try and clear the huge backlog, partly blamed on bad weather affecting ferry crossings and a higher-than-expected surge in bookings.

Our political correspondent Adam Forrest reports: