TOURISTS and lorry drivers from North and East Yorkshire were left stranded on the Continent today as French fishermen stepped up their ports blockade against fuel prices.

One truck driver, speaking to the Evening Press from his cab, said he was supposed to be back in Britain now, but was diverted from the port of Caen to the Channel Tunnel, where he was expecting further delays - possibly until Monday.

And while thousands of holidaymakers were stranded on the Continent by the protest, one Harrogate coach firm was having to divert a bus bound for Germany to the Belgian port of Zebrugge, rather than going via France.

The protesters chose one of the busiest periods of the year to cripple Calais, Boulogne, Cherbourg, Dunkirk and St Malo, among other entry points.

P&O Stena Line, Brittany Ferries, SeaFrance, Hoverspeed and Norfolk Line were all hit by the protests with sailings to and from Dover.

Today the fishermen tried to shut off the Channel Tunnel, the last escape route for traffic.

Eight vans were driven across the entrance near Calais.

Some British motorists attempted to get through the blockade, prompting angry confrontations.

Truckers using the Eurotunnel freight shuttles were facing delays of at least five hours before being able to board their trains, but North Yorkshire driver David Jones, working for Nidd Transport, near Masham, said he was expecting a blockade as he approached the tunnel.

An angry Mr Jones told the Evening Press: "I should have being going home via Caen this morning but that's blocked and I was told to go to the Tunnel. But I've been told to expect problems there as well.

"If the French had to pay our fuel prices there would really be a stink, wouldn't there? Why should they stop us from working? They get away with murder and we would never get away with it.

"This is all costing Nidd Transport because I get paid by the day. And I will probably miss my drop-off time in getting my load of car parts to Pontypool in Wales. I'll just have to go straight back to the depot."

Also as dismayed with the French protesters is Craig Temple, operations manager for coach firm Wrays of Harrogate.

He said: "We have a driver on his way down to France at the moment, but we won't know the situation until he gets to Dover. But we think he's going to take the passengers to Zebrugge and he will stop at Liege.

"It's lucky that we normally stop off somewhere to break up the journey, but it means a longer ferry crossing and it's a bit annoying really because we don't do anything of this sort over here."

P&O Stena, which normally operates 35 return sailings on the Dover-Calais run, was today laying on three extra passenger sailings between Dover and the Belgian port of Zeebrugge.

A spokesman said: "We are telling people who want to travel from Dover to turn up there as usual but to expect long delays."