Nightmare before Christmas: UK border chaos causes trucks to jam for miles, supermarkets warn of shortages

For some British truckers, retailers and traders, the dreaded New Year’s nightmare came early.

“French borders closed,” signs on roads approaching the Port of Dover on the English Channel flashed yesterday, pushing truck drivers away when traffic stopped. British supermarkets warned that supplies of fresh produce could run out in a few days.

Businesses have spent months worrying about disruptions at Britain’s borders as the UK makes an economic break with the European Union after Brexit at the end of the year. However, yesterday’s chaos was caused by the coronavirus.

The early tracking of a Covid-19 variant that scientists believe may more easily spread plunged southern England into a lockdown and over the weekend led countries around the world to halt flights from the UK.

France went further and closed its border for at least 48 hours starting Monday, detaining people and cargo vehicles entering by air, road, sea or rail.

The move left the 6,000 trucks that cross from England to France each day on ferries from Dover or on trains through the Eurotunnel trapped in England.

Today, France announced that it would begin allowing the return of traffic from the United Kingdom starting Thursday after the nations reached an agreement on their shared border.

EU citizens and those transporting goods internationally will be among those who can return, if they have a recent negative test for Covid-19.

NHS Test and Trace personnel and the military will be deployed for testing.

French authorities said Eurostar planes, ships and trains would resume their services on Wednesday evening.

Port of Dover CEO Doug Bannister said Tuesday that if the port was not reopened soon, there would be “a pretty tough situation.”

“Given the importance of the Strait of Dover in handling critical goods like food and the like, I think it could get quite dramatic,” he said.

The delays were a sample of what many companies fear will happen on January 1, when Britain abandons the EU’s economic structures, including its vast single market for goods.

The break will mean new inspections and customs formalities, and an even worse disruption if the two parties do not have a new trade agreement in place.

Trade negotiations that began after Britain formally left the EU on January 31 have faltered for months, without the two sides being able to close the gaps over guarantees of fair competition and access for European vessels to fishing waters. British.

With 10 days until the year-end deadline, both sides say talks are likely to fail and a bumpy British exit “no deal” on January 1.

Earlier this year, the UK government published its “reasonable worst-case scenario” for the post-Brexit border disruption, including lines of 7000 trucks near Dover and two-day waits to cross the Channel. of La Mancha.

Even if there is a trade deal, new inspections and red tape will bring delays. The government is building huge new truck parks and customs clearance sites in south-east England to ease the tension, though most are unfinished or overdue.

Delays at the border sent chills of apprehension across the UK, including the South West England fishing port of Brixham, where much of the local catch of crabs, scallops and other high-value seafood is exported to countries. of the EU.

“Today is an excellent example of what awaits Brexit,” said fishing boat captain Sean Beck.

“If we cannot sell to Europe, we are done,” he said. “There’s no future”.

Long lines formed outside some British supermarkets on Monday as customers stocked up on supplies, despite official warnings that panic buying was unnecessary.

Tim Rycroft, COO of the Food and Beverage Federation, said “there’s no need for shoppers to worry” just yet.

“There is still a lot of food in the supply chain,” he said. “Christmas is a time when warehouses are full, and only if this is not resolved quickly could there be some kind of impact at the retail end of the supply chain.”

Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s said that if the border is not reopened soon, “we will start to see gaps in the coming days in lettuce, some salad greens, cauliflower, broccoli and citrus, all of which are imported from the mainland at this time of year. “.

– AP