Operation Stack lifted in Kent after Calais port strikes

Lorries form a queue to enter the Port of Dover on the M20 (library photo)

Operation Stack has been lifted on the M20 after being put in place following delays at the Port of Dover due to industrial action in Calais.

The 24-hour closure of the Port of Calais began at 08:00 BST on Thursday.

Operation Stack is activated on the M20 to allow lorries to line up to enter the port and was lifted at about 03:00 BST, Kent Police said.

The Port of Dover says there may continue to be delays after Calais reopens.

Ferries between Dover and Calais were suspended due to the 24-hour strike by staff at the French port.

Ferry operator DFDS switched one of its Calais ships to the Dover-Dunkirk route to provide extra capacity.

When Operation Stack is in place, freight is separated into two queues on either side of the coast-bound carriageway of the M20 between Junctions 8 and 9.

One lane is used for traffic heading to the Eurotunnel terminal and one lane is for port traffic. The middle lanes are kept clear for emergency vehicles.

Non-freight traffic is diverted off the motorway and onto the A20.

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