Covid chaos disrupts Kent ports as France bans UK freight | Coronavirus

Miles of truck queues and travel chaos were expected in Kent on Monday morning after France announced a 48-hour ban on passengers and cargo entering from the UK.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair a Cobra meeting on Monday that will address “the steady flow of cargo to and from the UK,” a 10th spokesman said, amid a significant disruption expected in south-east ports.

The European Union will hold a similar crisis meeting today to coordinate its response to concerns about a new strain of Covid-19 spreading rapidly after countries across the continent banned flight arrivals from the UK.

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps warned of a “significant disruption” following the travel ban that took effect Sunday night. As a result of the Paris announcement, Kent Police implemented Operation Stack, where trucks will queue between junctions eight and 11 of the M20, heading south, to avoid traffic jams on county roads.

A spokesman for No. 10 said: “The Prime Minister will chair a Cobra meeting tomorrow to discuss the situation regarding international travel, in particular the constant flow of cargo to and from the UK.”

The Department of Transportation (DfT) said Manston Airport in Kent was preparing to accommodate up to 4,000 trucks as another measure to ease congestion. However, due to the expected level of disruption, DfT also recommended that carriers avoid traveling to Kent ports until further notice.

“Following the announcement by the French government, it will not accept passengers arriving from the UK for the next 48 hours, we are asking the public and in particular the carriers not to travel to the ports of Kent or other routes to France, ”Shapps tweeted. “My department is urgently working with Highways England and Kent Council on contingency measures to minimize traffic disruption in the area.”

All ports should be avoided, police said, including Eurotunnel. The M20 will be closed between crosses 8-11, including all entrance tickets at 8, 9, 10 and 10, Highways England said. They advised alternative routes for local traffic and instructed all freight traffic to use the M20 to enter the “pile.”

The Road Haulage Association (RHA) warned of the “devastating effect” of the ban on supply chains already under pressure from Brexit and Christmas bookings.

On Sunday night, the RHA said Brittany Ferries could not take outbound traffic long, but inbound traffic was unaffected. He said P&O was carrying “unaccompanied only” cargo from Dover to Calais, but the return route was operating normally. He said the routes from Hull to Rotterdam and Zeebrugge continued to operate normally, as did the route from Liverpool to Dublin.

RHA’s international group manager, Heather Wallace, said any attempt to get trucks out and return to France before Christmas would be extremely challenging and would expect long delays once the ban was lifted.

The logistics company Cold Chain Federation asked authorities to consider the impact of delays on drivers who can be stuck for days. “This decision will primarily affect hundreds of drivers,” said CEO Shane Brennan. “We urge the authorities on all sides to consider their welfare above all else.”

The freight ban will have serious ramifications for UK trade, which in recent days has seen around 10,000 trucks pass through the port of Dover every 24 hours.

Much of the trade that passes through the Canal ports consists of perishable goods that need to reach their destination quickly.

Andrew Opie of the British Retail Consortium said: “The closure of traffic from France to the UK, including accompanied transport, poses difficulties for the UK’s ability to import and export key products during the busy Christmas period.”

He suggested that while goods could still enter the UK from France, few transport companies may be willing to send trucks and drivers to the UK without a guarantee that they can return to the EU in a timely manner.

Scottish seafood exporter Lochfyne said the closing of the French border the week before Christmas was a “disaster”.

A spokesperson said on Twitter: “There will be Vivier trucks from across Scotland heading in that direction, millions of pounds worth of seafood at the biggest market time of the year, the last before Christmas.

“Even if we pass 48 hours later, we will miss the Christmas deadline, this is incredible.”

Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon called for an extension of the Brexit transition period due to the crisis caused by the new strain of coronavirus.

“The new Covid strain, and its various implications, means that we are facing a deeply dire situation and it demands our 100% attention. Could be inconceivable to compose it with Brexi“Sturgeon said.

On Sunday, Brexit negotiators inched toward a compromise on fishing rights, but missed an important deadline, raising the possibility of weeks without deals starting on January 1, even in the event of a deal . The talks will continue on Monday.

On Sunday night, Gatwick was packed with last-minute travelers, including some trying to fly complicated transit routes through Eastern Europe, to destinations that had already closed borders. Many were denied boarding because regulations changed hourly.

France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal, Belgium, Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Romania, Croatia and the Netherlands have said they will ban flights arriving from the UK. The Czech Republic has imposed stricter quarantine measures for people arriving from Great Britain.

Each country has different restrictions in place, including when they start and how long they last. Some measures affect only passenger travel, while others include the transport of goods.