Manston site is no longer needed

The Department for Transport (DfT) says it will not be maintaining Manston Airport as an emergency lorry park after its six-month contract with the owners ends – meaning all lorries will be set to go to Sevington.

The site near Ramsgate was used during the recent crisis that saw gridlock in Dover over Christmas and the New Year.

Thousands of hauliers were prevented from crossing the Channel because of the closure of the borders by the French authorities.

Many were diverted to Manston to have tests for the coronavirus after the shutdown was lifted but the French authorities said all HGV drivers needed proof of a negative test taken within the previous 72 hours.

In a statement, a DfT spokesman said: “The government secured use of the Manston Airport site as a temporary measure to manage traffic at the border from January 1 2021 to the end of June 2021.

“We continue to work with the Kent Resilience Forum to ensure they have the support needed to manage extreme traffic congestion in Kent.”

It is understood the DfT is likely to use the Sevington site next to Junction 10a to hold lorries but its capacity to do so is far lower than Manston and its main focus is as a customs checking point.

However, officials are understood to consider the risks of another major event are low and that the flow of traffic has now almost returned to pre-Brexit levels.

The use of Manston proved critical during the period of gridlock in Dover and at one point it was being used to hold 4,000 lorries.

The announcement that the government no longer considers it necessary to keep the option of Manston open has sparked concerns that in the event of a similar issue, there will be no alternative site with equal capacity.