Ensuring the ongoing movement of freight traffic through the Port of Dover is a key priority, according to business group Logistics UK, as Operation Brock traffic management system is deployed ahead of predicted increased levels of holiday traffic this weekend.
However, given the cost and disruption to vehicles caused by this temporary traffic management system each time it is implemented, the business group is calling for a longer-term solution.
Jonathan Walker, Head of Cities and Infrastructure Policy, Logistics UK comments: “While we are encouraged that consideration is being given to the flow of traffic during peak periods, Operation Brock is only a temporary fix and does not provide adequate rest and hygiene facilities for professional drivers or those travelling to the Continent.
Photo: PA
“With significant changes to border controls due to be implemented from October which will also create the potential for delays around the port, it is vital a more permanent, efficient and cost-effective measure is introduced to ensure the smooth flow of goods.”
Drivers have expressed fury at the hold-ups after it was reported that queues on the south coast are that long they can now be seen from space.
One haulier told The Independent that he had been stuck in queues up to nine miles long since full customs controls came into force at the beginning of January.
“It’s entirely Brexit – you can’t blame it on anything else but Brexit,” said the driver.
Others pointed to a cocktail of Brexit checks and cumbersome Covid paperwork.
The BBC’s Reality Check team conducted their own investigation into the hold-ups, concluding that a raft of new measures for goods imported from the EU that came into force at the start of the year should be blamed.
From 1 January 2022, lorries taking goods from Great Britain to the EU, have to use the Goods Vehicle Movement System (GVMS), the UK government’s new IT system, to get any goods through customs in ports that use it. This includes Dover and the Channel Tunnel terminal at Folkestone.
BBC trade correspondent Chris Morris has been told it’s been taking about 15 minutes per vehicle to process the paperwork.
He says that’s likely to get faster as people get used to the new system, but delays aren’t going to disappear altogether. And that’s a problem when the roll-on roll-off ferry operation is so time-sensitive.
The Port of Dover said that increased customs checks were “not the sole reason for queues”.
It pointed to other factors including the volume of freight, work going on in the Port of Dover and a number of ferries being out of action for servicing.
