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Queues of trucks stretching for five miles unexpectedly accumulated in Kent on Tuesday after the French began a test of post-Brexit controls.
Trucks crossing the English Channel were forced to stop in long lines until Junction 11 of the M20 as they attempted to approach the entrance to the Channel Tunnel just outside Folkestone and the Port of Dover.
The queues give a glimpse of what’s to come in January, whether or not a deal was reached with the government last month, warning of the queues of 7,000 trucks on the main routes from the motorways to the Eurotunnel and Dover ferries in worst case.
The delays came after Police Aux Frontières, the equivalent of Border Force, rehearsed new immigration procedures in Calais.
A spokesperson for Highways England said they had been told that new test software for border controls, with all heavy vehicles checked from 6am to 3pm, was responsible for the delay. “In a conference call chaired by Kent Police at 4pm, we were informed that the test had already ended and traffic was now flowing freely within the port. The HGV queue is backed around M20 J11, but we expect this to start to slow down as the test is no longer operational, ”the spokesperson said. Eurotunnel and the Port of Dover were also on the call.
The controls require truck drivers to provide passports and are asked about the means test, their destination and the length of stay, which can last up to 70 seconds per passenger.
After January, truck drivers will also face additional delays for food, beverage and produce controls and customs in both directions.
However, the UK government has said it will graduate these checks on the British side for six weeks to reduce the chances of stagnation in Dover and on Kent roads.
One source said the test caused delays because the French had not deployed enough personnel needed for a live operation and once adequate resources were in place, more lanes would be opened to help ease congestion.
The delays will also affect the UK customs and transport sector, which has repeatedly warned the government about delays in key British software that won’t be available until December.
Last week, the Kent County Council also raised concerns for the welfare of animals that could be trapped in trucks in the event of a stop.
“We are concerned about the impact that the highway system will have and, in particular, the impact on animals in transit,” said Steve Rock, director of trade standards.
The council is looking to double the number of trade standards officers from six to 12 to deal with Brexit controls and is concerned that routine deliveries of veterinary drugs to farms and transport of animals from farms to markets will not be interrupted by Brexit.
The government reveals the ship’s portaloos plan for the Kent Highway.
“If we get to a position where the traffic is static for an extended period as a reactive protocol in place with the roads of England … whereby the portaloos at that point could be deployed on the carriageway” – Department of Transport– lisa o’carroll (@lisaocarroll) November 23, 2020
Tuesday’s Brexit tests come a day after the UK government confirmed it would send portals to motorways as a “reactive” plan when long queues occur. It decided not to install them in the longer term due to the risk that drivers will need a convenient break to stop to use them when traffic is flowing at normal levels.
The Department of Transportation is looking to hire private contractors to help Kent Police manage traffic, although local police have said that if additional workers are brought in, they will not participate in any enforcement action.
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