The situation is "serious" at Manston where hundreds of lorry drivers are stranded due to the closure of the border.

The Road Haulage Association's policy and public affairs managing director Rod McKenzie tweeted that "drivers have few toilets and little food to eat".

The trade body is calling on the government to act quickly to tackle the situation.

Manston Airport is being used as a temporary lorry park.

Lauren Moss
BBC South East Political Editor

There are now almost 3,000 lorries being held in Kent as they wait to cross to the continent, the leader of Kent County Council has said.

Roger Gough told the BBC that 2,220 vehicles are now at the airport in Manston.

A further 632 are still being held on the M20 motorway.

Image source, PA Media

At least 4,000 lorries could be impacted by the French travel ban and subsequent blockage at Dover, a food industry chief has told MPs.

Ian Wright, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, told the business, energy and industrial strategy select committee: "I don't think the number of trucks in the queue or other areas is the relevant number.

"We reckon about 4,000 on their way to Dover at various points.

"Anyone seeing this all happening in the run-up would have parked somewhere else, somewhere more congenial and in a better state."

BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, Getty Images

It is likely to be a slow process getting through the backlog of vehicles waiting to cross the Channel, according to John Keefe from Eurotunnel.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Wake Up to Money programme earlier, he said: "If everyone arrived at the same moment, it would be difficult. We run six departures per hour, each one carries 32 trucks... somewhere between 180 and 200 trucks per hour.

"From what we're seeing, there might be some form of testing, so if people have to go through testing first, then it looks like it might start as a trickle rather than a flood," he said.

"Hopefully, it's just 48 hours and hopefully those trucks will eventually go through because the trucks have to get back to their base, the drivers have to get home.

"The logistics and transport process is a circuit; it keeps on running in both directions. It's in everybody's interest that that starts up again soon."

Truckers stranded in Kent for a second night talk of their fears of not getting home for Christmas.

Travel bans from the UK to the European Union should be lifted, but people should be "discouraged" from making journeys across the Channel, the European Commission has recommended.

It has called for a joint approach from EU members after individual countries imposed emergency restrictions, including a 48-hour closure of the border with France.

Flight and train bans "should be discontinued given the need to ensure essential travel and avoid supply chain disruptions", the commission said.

EU justice commissioner Didier Reynders said: "Member states should take co-ordinated action to discourage non-essential travel between the UK and the EU."

But "at the same time, blanket travel bans should not prevent thousands of EU and UK citizens from returning to their homes".

The transport commissioner, Adina Valean, says it is "crucial transport workers are exempt from any restrictive measures".

Laura Kuenssberg
Political editor

Queues on the M20 in Kent aren't exactly unheard of, but the French decision to close the border is dramatic and has caused a lot of disruption.

Politicians on both sides of the Channel are hopeful they might be able to agree a way of getting things moving again before the end of the year.

But if that requires a massive expansion of testing for coronavirus at the border, that's easy to say, far harder to do.

Read more from Laura

The port of Harwich in Essex - which is about 130 miles from Dover by road - is seeing a build up of lorries as drivers divert from Dover, a spokesman for the port said.

The port of Felixstowe in Suffolk is also busy but there are no queues.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said discussions were under way between the UK and France "to find a resolution" to the Channel disruption.

Florian, a lorry driver from Romania who has been caught up in the queues at Dover, has been speaking to the BBC.

After a second night trying to sleep in his vehicle, he said he and other drivers were "disappointed and afraid" they will miss Christmas with their families.

"We don't know what to do, I have called everywhere if they can help us and no answer, nobody knows. We have to wait."

He says his family - including his wife and seven-year-old daughter -are waiting for him to return home for Christmas.

He says he told his daughter that is stuck in Kent because the border is closed, "but she doesn't know what the border is, she says 'you have to come, I wait for you, we have to make the tree for Christmas'".

Florian adds that he has asked about getting a coronavirus test, and was told he would not be able to get one of the quick turnaround tests, but would have to wait three days for a PCR test.

Grant Shapps is warning hauliers not to travel to Kent due to the risk of being stuck in the county, unable to cross to France.

France has suspended any travel from the UK, meaning no lorries are allowed to leave the Port of Dover.

The EU Commission is due to devise a set of technical recommendations later on how to coordinate the flow of goods and key cargo between the UK and other countries.

It will also make recommendations on how best member states can repatriate their nationals who are trying to get home.

As expected, the commission will not recommend a common restrictions policy for member states to follow.

The announcement, expected this afternoon, will be followed by a meeting of EU ambassadors, who will continue discussions on travel restrictions.

Simon Jones
Reporter, BBC South East Today

Last night the government said there were 945 lorries parked up on the M20 motorway.

But driving around Dover this morning, there are HGVs everywhere - on the side of the road, in lay bys and in car parks.

That means the number of hauliers caught up in the chaos is likely to be far higher.

Lorry drivers are used to sitting in delays, and will often sleep in their cabs. But for those I've spoken to this morning, it's the uncertainty that is the most difficult thing.

They don't know how long this will go on for; they don't know whether they will get home for Christmas.

Even if France does reopen the border today, this backlog will take some time to shift, especially if drivers have to be tested before crossing the Channel.

Image source, PA Media

About 650 lorries are parked on the M20 between junctions 11 and 9 as part of Operation Stack, the Department for Transport has said.

These are due be moved to Manston today, a DfT spokesman said.

They will join about 870 lorries that were already on site as of 06:00 GMT.

The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, says discussions are taking place between the UK and French governments in order to resolve the closure of the French border.

She said: "It is in both our interests to find a resolution and those conversations are taking place.

"Testing of some sort is part of the discussions that the transport secretary is having with his counterpart in France right now. Getting those tests up and running can happen relatively quickly."

She said the variant of the virus has been found elsewhere in the world and could also be spreading in Europe.

"It is in all our interests to keep each other safe, whether it is testing, a vaccine… the tools at our disposal. The government will take all the necessary steps to contain this."

Borders need to be opened by Wednesday to ensure no disruption to food supplies, the British Retail Consortium has said.

Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "There is a problem potentially directly after Christmas and that is really in fresh produce, so we're talking here about things like salad, vegetables, fresh fruit, of which the vast majority come from Europe at this time.

"The problem actually is empty lorries, so the empty lorries which are now stuck in Kent, they need to get back to places like Spain to pick up the [next] consignment of raspberries and strawberries and they need to get back within the next day or so otherwise we will see disruption."

He added: "As long as it can be cleared today there'll be minimal impact for consumers."

Lorry drivers stranded in Kent were offered "just one cereal bar" by council officials on Monday, it has been claimed.

Rod McKenzie, managing director of the Road Haulage Association, told BBC Breakfast, their morale was "very poor".

He said: "Many of them are European drivers trying to get home for Christmas. Their morale is very poor.

"Yesterday Kent County Council offered each of them one cereal bar which is a pretty poor effort I think in terms of maintaining their morale and their spirits.”

The British Retail Consortium has said borders need to be running "pretty much freely" from Wednesday to avoid disruption to fresh food supplies.

Its director, Andrew Opie, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "There is a problem potentially directly after Christmas and that is really in fresh produce, so we're talking here about things like salad, vegetables, fresh fruit.

"The problem actually is empty lorries, so the empty lorries which are now stuck in Kent, they need to get back to places like Spain to pick up the net (next) consignment of raspberries and strawberries and they need to get back within the next day or so otherwise we will see disruption."

The M20 is closed between J7-J9 until 08:00 GMT while the moveable barrier for Operation Brock is being implemented by Highways England.

The Department of Transport is "strongly advising" people and hauliers not to travel to Kent ports.

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