[ad_1]
The government has made “good progress” in talks with France about reopening the country’s border with the United Kingdom, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced.
More than 2,800 trucks have been trapped in Kent after France closed its border to UK travelers on Sunday night, following fears about the spread of a new coronavirus variant.
French Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari also revealed that Eurostar flights, ferries and services will resume on Wednesday morning.
But only French citizens, those who regularly reside in France or those who make essential trips, will be able to travel.
These groups will also have to provide a negative COVID test, of a type that detects the new variant, prior to departure.
Mr. Djebbari thanked Mr. Shapps on Twitter for the “incredible work we have done” over the past 48 hours.
A statement from the office of French Prime Minister Jean Castex said that “specific procedures” for resuming road freight traffic would “be specified in the next few hours.”
In his own Twitter post Tuesday night, Shapps wrote: “Good progress today and agreement with the French government on the borders.
“We will provide an update on carriers later tonight, but carriers are NOT yet to travel to Kent tonight.”
It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke on Monday, with officials from the UK and France trying to reach an agreement to unblock the ban on Tuesday.
The disruption on the south coast caused the M20 motorway in Kent to be closed on Monday night to allow the implementation of Operation Brock.
The action, which involves the use of a mobile barrier to keep traffic on the highway whenever there is a disruption in the Canal, had been prepared for possible Brexit delays early in the New Year, but was called early.
More than 600 trucks were queued on the M20 Tuesday night, and 2,180 more were forced to wait at a former airfield in Manston, Kent.
Many truck drivers had spent a second night sleeping in their taxis while waiting for news of a decision at the border.
France was one of more than 40 countries around the world that has implemented travel restrictions in the UK due to the mutant variant of the coronavirus, which spreads more easily than previous strains.
UK supermarkets had warned of a shortage of some fresh fruits and vegetables if the disruption continued.
Ian Wright, executive director of the Food and Beverage Federation, said that while shoppers “need not worry about food supplies during Christmas,” the consequences could be felt soon after.
The European Commission had earlier Tuesday they urged the member states They have restricted travel from the UK to lift their bans to allow essential travel and minimize disruption to trade.
