France's ban on freight hauliers from the UK was 'slightly surprising', the Transport Secretary has said

Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps told Sky News on Monday that while the disruption was not a ‘specific problem’ in the short term, the key was to ‘get it resolved.’

Empty ramps and lanes at the Port of Dover in Kent after France ban freight hauliers from the UK

He said: "Immediately as soon as the French said, perhaps slightly surprisingly that they would stop hauliers, rather than just passengers, we were in touch with a group known as the Kent Resilience Forum. They are well used to planning for exactly these kind of circumstances

"We will be opening up Manston as a lorry park today and providing welfare for some of those drivers as well, while also being in very close contact with the French over what will happen next.

"The Kent Dover-to-Calais Eurotunnel, what we call the short straits, is probably about 20% of goods going to and from, in and out of the country.

"But it's not the mainstay. Most goods actually come in and out by unaccompanied containers and those will continue to flow."

Asked about what the shortages could be, Mr Shapps said: "Obviously we don't want these links to be closed for too long, but it's not unusual for them to be closed and disrupted.

"In the short term it's not a specific problem. But of course the key is to get it resolved."

Leader of Kent County Council Roger Gough said plans were already in place to cope with traffic disruption following the end of the Brexit transition period, after queues formed in the county on Monday following France's ban on freight from the UK.

Speaking to Times Radio, he said: "We've been doing an enormous amount of preparation for January 1 and that involves what is called Operation Brock, however what we are using is called Operation Stack, which is the method used in previous years where in effect you shut the M20 between junctions eight and 11.

"National government has urged vehicles not to come to Kent because we are anticipating some 17,000 vehicles coming into Kent to make the crossing over the next couple of days.

"The previous plans aimed at dealing with the impact of the end of transition were for holding vehicles - up to 7,000 - and so clearly there is a need for other measures."

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