Families crossing the Channel by Eurotunnel or ferry face Easter misery after ministers insisted on introducing new exit checks during one of the busiest getaways of the year . Queues of up to five miles and lengthy delays are predicted when the new regime starts on April 8 . Under the new rules , the passport of every passenger in a car or coach will have to be individually scanned . Ministers insist that knowing who is leaving the country is vital for counting the number of immigrants in Britain and fighting crime and terrorism . Nightmare journeys : P & O Ferries has claimed new border control rules will cause huge delays leaving the country with 'coachloads of little old ladies bearing the brunt ' But even though no checks have taken place over the past 17 years , the Home Office decided the best date to reinstate them should be on the second week in April – when vast numbers of Britons head to the continent during the Easter school break . Ferry companies warn that holidaymakers will be held in queues on the A20 in Kent , blocking the route between Dover and Folkestone during one of the busiest times of year . MPs on the home affairs select committee were sent a letter from the UK Chamber of Shipping claiming trials had shown that queues of at least 650 vehicles would form on busy days . Tim Reardon , the chamber ’ s policy director , said : ‘ The model showed that , with tourist and freight check-in transactions extended by exit checks , the queue of traffic heading for the port of Dover would extend at least 8km , blocking the A20 almost as far as Folkestone. ’ Eurotunnel calculates the new system will quadruple the time taken to get vehicles onto shuttle trains . Buses with 30 or more passengers on board will take even longer . Checking a car on to a cross-Channel train takes 15 seconds at the moment . But passport checks on up to five passengers will stretch that closer to two minutes , adding to delays . Eurotunnel public affairs director John Keefe said : ‘ You only have to multiply the number of people in each vehicle – five six or seven in a car or 30 or more in a coach – to see how this will play out . Protective measures : The checks start on April 8 and Eurotunnel and ferry companies will be checking the passports of all those leaving the country to tighten national security . ‘ That increases the risk of congestion and delays . That ’ s the risk we are trying to mitigate . But the risks are significant. ’ Advice : Immigration Minister James Brokenshire told the Today programme that people should set out on their journeys earlier to avoid delays . Ministers were last night under pressure from MPs to make exceptions to the rules , such as large coach parties . Interviewed on BBC Radio Four ’ s Today programme yesterday , immigration minister James Brokenshire twice hesitated before saying passengers should set out early on their journeys . Quizzed a third time , he said : ‘ On busy days I think it is advisable for anyone to set out earlier to ensure that they are at their ports of departure on time. ’ He denied there would be chaos , insisting : ‘ There are often queues at both Eurotunnel and also Dover in terms of their day-to-day operations. ’ In the event of huge queues , managers on the ground will not have the authority to relax the checks . They would have to seek personal approval from a minister or government official . Transport bosses say the April 8 deadline has been imposed for political reasons so ministers can say they have exit checks in place before the general election . The original date they had in mind was April 1 – just two days before Good Friday – but implementation was delayed by a week when the Home Office was warned the consequences would be even worse . Despite the inconvenience caused by the checks , the Home Office will still not have a full picture of who is in the country . The checks do not apply to journeys to Ireland or travel by private aircraft or boats . Airports are not likely to be hit by the checks . Heathrow said it did not anticipate ‘ any disruption or any visible changes to passenger journeys ’ . A spokesman for the hub said 96 per cent of flights already collect advance passenger information .
Unpopular new measure to be introduced at British borders in Easter break . Passports to be checked for all passengers in cars or coaches leaving Britain . P & O Ferries claims it is 'little old ladies ' who will suffer under the new rules . Eurotunnel chief said it could push border management 'beyond capacity ' But ministers say it is vital for counting the number of immigrants in UK .