Dover, UK: There have been mixed reports of long lorry queues on approach roads to Dover over the last week.
Drivers took to Twitter to show photographs and videos of long tailbacks on the A20. Some of them blamed the delays on Covid paperwork but most on new customs checks. One Tweeted: “Just remember – this is the A20 and a result of full customs checks on all commercials leaving the U.K. for France. 10-20 mins per truck processing paperwork results in this. This is one part of a very long queue #Brexit”.
‘It’s entirely Brexit,’ said one driver who said he had been caught up in 15km queues.
Kent County Council Highways Tweeted: “The Dover Traffic Access Protocol (TAP) scheme on the A20 at Aycliffe has been implemented due to heavy freight volumes. This is to prevent portbound traffic from disrupting the local road network and the A20 through Dover town.”
However, ferry firm DFDS insisted there were “short delays” on the cross-channel route as they were operating one less vessel. And local residents disputed the reports of long queues, arguing that the traffic was free flowing.
Meanwhile, concerns are growing about the biometric checks for drivers, scheduled to come in later this year. Global Cold Chain News highlighted Logistics UK’s warnings about the checks when the association was represented at a Commons Transport road freight inquiry in November last year.
Logistics UK policy director Elizabeth de Jong warned that the new EU border biometric ID checks could result in 17-mile tailbacks in Dover.
Port of Dover chief executive Doug Bannister also said he was concerned queues could get much worse in September, when the airport-style biometric checks are introduced. He wants urgent meetings with the government over his fears that the checks will add delays and cause danger.
