A terrorism suspect said to be on the run sparked ten-hour delays at the Port of Dover while police launched an urgent manhunt.
All UK ports were put on high alert on Wednesday morning after a request from counter-terror chiefs for enhanced security checks.
The manhunt was prompted by a terror suspect removing his ankle tag and disappearing, sources told The Sun.
The suspect - who cannot be named for legal reasons - eventually handed himself into police and the emergency was stood down.
But while officers scoured the Kent transport hub for the man, all vehicles in the Dover port area were checked by police, causing nine-mile tailbacks.
Multiple police vehicles were seen flocking to the Port of Dover on blue lights during the incident, which began around 7am.
Social media users stuck in the logjam reported traffic “chaos”, with one tweeting: “WTF is going on with traffic around #Dover? It is totally screwed. If this is a Police op at the port...then why wasn't traffic controlled beforehand?
“A20/A2 completely screwed & blocked by double lorries. Just taken 90 mins to drive 15 miles.”
The Port of Dover confirmed the police operation, stood down around midday, “involved checks of vehicles and passengers at Kent ports”.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Policing told the Evening Standard there were no arrests.
He added: "We can confirm that a request was made on 15 September by Counter Terrorism Policing nationally for enhanced security checks to be carried out at UK ports.
“This was in relation to ongoing operational activity and this requirement has since been stood down.
“We would like to reassure the public that there is no threat to public safety in relation to this activity and thank all those affected for their cooperation and understanding.”
Kent Police said on Wednesday: "The policing operation at Kent ports has now concluded and border controls are returning to normality.
"We are working with our partners to manage the traffic congestion and Operation Stack remains in place while the backlog of freight is cleared. Thank you for your patience.”
