M20 closure ahead of Operation Brock roll out

Operation Brock is to be deployed ahead of the Spring Bank Holiday

A traffic-holding system for lorries queueing to cross the English Channel is to be deployed ahead of the Spring Bank Holiday.

Operation Brock sees lorries heading to Dover queue on one side of the M20, with the other carriageway operating as a contraflow.

It covers a 13-mile (20.9km) section of the motorway between junctions eight (Maidstone) and nine (Ashford).

The motorway will be closed between 20:00 BST on Wednesday and 06:00 on Thursday to allow the contraflow to be deployed.

'Minimise disruption'

The operation will be deployed due to expected high passenger numbers, National Highways said.

To safely deploy the contraflow, the M20 will be closed London-bound from junction nine to eight, as well as coastbound between junction seven and nine.

Fully signed diversion routes will be in place while the M20 is closed overnight, a National Highways spokesman said.

“These times have been chosen to minimise disruption to road users,” he added.

When the M20 reopens on Thursday, the contraflow will be in place and all HGVs heading for the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel must follow the signs to join Operation Brock at junction eight.

Any EU-bound HGVs not complying with signage and trying to use another route to Eurotunnel or the Port of Dover risk a fine of £300.

They will also be sent to the back of the queue by police or enforcement agents, National Highways added.

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