UK warns of lorry logjam on Channel as Brexit hits

AFP

The British government says there could be lines of 7,000 trucks at the English Channel and two-day waits to get into France immediately after the UK makes its economic break from the European Union at the end of the year.

Michael Gove, the minister in charge of Brexit preparations, described that as a worst-case scenario in a letter to logistics firms.

The government letter says that between 30 percent and 50 percent of trucks wanting to cross the Channel may not be ready for new paperwork and regulations that will come into effect on January 1.

“This could lead to maximum queues of 7,000 port-bound trucks in Kent and associated maximum delays of up to two days,” the document said.

The delays could last at least three months until companies get used to the new systems and requirements, Gove’s letter states.

Haulage and logistics companies accused the government of being woefully unprepared for the changes coming in just over three months. The government’s Smart Freight system, designed to reduce the risk of cargo delays, will still be in a testing phase in January. Work to recruit and train 50,000 new customs workers is nowhere near being finished.

“We’ve been consistently warning the government that there will be delays at ports, but they’re just not engaging with industry on coming up with solutions,” Road Haulage Association chief executive Richard Burnett said.

The UK withdrew from the EU’s political institutions on January 31 but remains in a tariff-free transition period until the end of the year while negotiators try to work out a future trade relationship.

Even with a deal, Britain will be leaving the bloc’s single market and customs union.

That means some new checks and trade barriers will be installed at the UK-EU border.

Without a deal there will be much greater disruption, with the UK and the EU having to slap tariffs on each others’ goods.