Bollards to Brock! Border freight movements need permanent solution, says Logistics UK

As the summer get away begins in earnest this weekend, Logistics UK has reacted with disappointment at the ongoing reliance on Operation Brock, the traffic management scheme that forces lorries heading to the Dover and Folkestone ports to queue on the M20 during peak times. While the scheme aims to manage seasonal traffic flows to and from the Channel ports, Logistics UK argues that the lack of a sustainable long-term solution is harming UK trade and diverting much needed funding from public coffers every time it is deployed. As James Mills, the business group’s Head of Trade Policy explains:

“Ten years after the Brexit vote, it is deeply frustrating to see public money being spent to deploy temporary cones on the coastbound carriageways our members use every day to export to continental customers. Every cone placed on the motorway costs the public money, funding that could be used to create a permanent solution to manage coastbound traffic at peak times.

“The Short Straits crossing remains the easiest and quickest way to move goods to Europe, but a decade after the country voted to leave the European bloc, we are no closer to a permanent solution to the entirely predictable queues which form during the summer getaways. In fact, the queues have continued, with the European Entry and Exit System (EES) having recently replaced passport stamping with biometric checks before the EU system is working reliably. This is deeply frustrating both for our members, who want to deliver for their customers, and those who want to start their holidays rather than sit in endless queues.”

The group’s concerns come against a backdrop of declining UK export volumes. Analysis for Logistics UK from independent transport economists MDS Transmodal shows that, in the ten years since the Brexit referendum, UK exports have fallen significantly both to the EU and globally. UK exports to the EU are down 15.9% by volume while exports to the Rest of the World have fallen by 37.2%.

“Against the backdrop of declining UK exports to the EU, it is more important than ever that government does everything possible to reduce friction on our key trading routes,” Mr Mills continues. “The EU remains our biggest market for goods exports and it is critical that this trade is protected.”

As Mr Mills explains, the delays occur throughout the year, but summer temperatures exacerbate a key issue for logisticians – the lack of hygiene and rest-facilities for professional drivers who are responsible for supporting the UK’s supply chain with many of the goods the country relies on:

“Over half of all goods traded between Great Britain and mainland Europe travel across the Short Straits crossings between England and France, and up to 16,000 freight vehicles travel through the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel every day. This shows how critical the crossings are to the UK economy. HGV drivers heading to the ports, along with coach passengers, motorists and Kent residents, deserve a permanent solution to the recurring congestion that occurs at the border, and this includes having access to food and drink facilities, as well as rest areas and operational toilets – something which workers across the rest of the economy take for granted. Why should our logistics workers, on whom we rely for everything we consume, be denied this access?

“Operation Brock is an inefficient and expensive workaround for an issue that our sector has been raising with government for years, with over £3 million of public money spent last year alone deploying the scheme. Our members have had enough of bollards – they deserve a proper solution.”

Logistics UK is one of the UK’s biggest business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With decarbonisation, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc. Logistics UK supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, water and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods. For more information about the organisation and its work, please visit logistics.org.uk