Years of traffic delays warned over border scheme

Operation Brock could be in place for three years, according to Kent County Council

The European Union's new digital border system could mean Operation Brock being in place for three years, according to a senior member of Kent County Council (KCC).

The council's cabinet spokesman for roads, Neil Baker, made the warning to fellow cabinet members on 4 January.

The post-Brexit biometric checks, due to be implemented in October, will replace the manual stamping of passports to track travellers from non-EU countries more effectively.

Mr Baker said he feared their introduction would clog up the cross-Channel terminals, cause congestion on Kent’s motorways and create delays of up to 14 hours.

Mr Baker told councillors: “We have already been telling the government for some time the problems we will be facing as part of this EU entry exit strategy. I don’t think we can downplay how big of an impact it could well have on Kent and over an extended period.

“We are not talking about just going into October and there being a bit of a blip and everything being back to normal.

“We could be looking at the equivalent of three years solid of Brock being in place.

“We know how bad life is when Brock is in place for a day or two – imagine that infinitely worse.

"This is going to be a serious, serious mess.

"And it is not just Kent – we are probably going to look at, potentially, 12 to 14 hour queues up at the Eurostar terminal in London. It’s going to be grim.”

The EU's new digital border system is due to come into effect at the Port of Dover in October

Mr Baker said he was raising the issue now to ensure the public had plenty of warning.

He said: "We cannot be accused come October, if everything snarls up as badly as I fear it might, of people saying ‘why didn’t you warn everyone about this?’

“Frankly, we are."