Thousands of passengers have spent several hours stranded in Calais after a protest blocked the port.

Demonstrators used lifeboats to prevent ferries from entering or leaving the terminal.

They have now been cleared but it could take hours to clear the backlog.

The protests prevented passengers boarding ferries on both sides of the Channel as many travellers headed home over the UK bank holiday.

The protests were carried out by disgruntled former staff of the recently dissolved MyFerryLink, who used lifeboats to block ships from docking.

The workers were reportedly protesting over 600 potential job losses. Ferries were unable to leave or enter both Calais and Dover for several hours.

Disruption for travellers was compounded by Eurotunnel, which said it would only accept passengers with pre-booked tickets to leave Calais.

But ferry service operators P&O Ferries and DFDS Seaways confirmed services have now resumed.

P&O Ferries said: "Calais port has now re-opened for shipping movements. The Port of Dover is now open again - our services are subject to delays".

DFDS Seaways tweeted: "Calais port has now reopened, normal service has resumed. All services are operating to the advertised scheduled with space available".

Earlier, Paula Stewart, among the passengers who became stranded, said that the situation was "very confusing".

She said: "It's really quite strange because nobody said anything when we came into the port or whether there were any issues with a strike or a boat on the water".

"No one knows what was happening. And it looks like we're here for the long stay tonight"

Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart said it was regrettable the port had been taken "hostage".

The French prime minister, Manuel Valls, is due to visit the port today. The disruption has also coincided with the growing migrant crisis in Calais.