Burdensome EU border regime threatens post-Brexit lorry pile up at Port of Dover

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DOVER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 01: Freight moves through the Port of Dover on November 01, 2021 in Dover, England. A dispute between the UK and France over fishing rights appeared to escalate over the weekend, after the countries' leaders held a 30-minute meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

A fresh logistics regime imposed by the EU after Brexit could lead to lorries piling up at the Port of Dover, authorities and MPs warned yesterday.

Rules overseeing entry to the bloc’s passport-free Schengen Area would increase the amount of time it takes lorry drivers to pass through Britain into the region.

Drivers would have to leave their vehicles for ID checks, causing traffic chaos at the Port of Dover due to the increased administrative burden of crossing into the EU.

The news was first reported by The Telegraph.

The new regime forces drivers to pass biometric checks and to pass through electronic gates instead of the less time-consuming passport check system.

Concerns about traffic jams at the Port prompted a group of Kent MPs to write a warning letter to the government, saying there is a danger of “large scale traffic disruption in Kent … on a continual basis”.

More to follow.