Dover Port is slowly returning to normal after a terrorist alert closed it for seven hours.

In what appears to be a significant coup for Customs and Excise a routine search of a vehicle with a x-ray led to the seizure of ‘prohibitedweapons’- no further details are avaliable about what was siezed.

Army bomb disposal experts were called in, and an exclusion zone placed around the port. They experts spent several hours examining the vehicle, during which time the port was closed to all traffic- including ships.

Up to ten ships were forced to remain in the channel with thousands of passengers on board.

Roads around the port quickly filled up, with parts of the M20 being shut and used by the police to ‘stack’ waiting cars.

The three men who were in the car have been arrested under anti terrorism legislation.

The port was reopened just after 2.30am and the ferry operators have said they expect services to operate as normal today.