Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Truckers stranded by border chaos
France’s decision to close its borders to the UK because of the new coronavirus strain sparked chaos in Kent this week. Thousands of lorry drivers were left stranded in the county as the Gazette went to press yesterday, following the controversial travel ban being announced on Sunday.
It was lifted by France at midnight on Tuesday, but only for those those able to show they had tested negative for Covid-19.
It sparked ugly scenes in Thanet and Dover as drivers desperate to get home for Christmas were left frustrated by long delays.
After the travel ban was announced, thousands of truckers had headed to a makeshift lorry park at the former Manston airport site, while others lined the M20 and were left stuck at Dover. When it was lifted, mass testing of drivers began at Manston, with ferry operator DFDS saying it had the capacity to get all stranded freight across the Channel. But chaos ensued when drivers at Dover were told they would have to travel to Thanet to be tested before they would be allowed to cross the Channel. They watched as the first truckers able to get away from Manston arrived and were allowed to travel in front of them, increasing already high tensions. What followed were unsavoury scenes, with drivers clashing with police during a tense stand-off.
The truckers blockaded the port’s exit with their vehicles and made a human chain, further exacerbating gridlock in the area.
One man was arrested for obstructing a highway and was in custody as the Gazette went to press. Meanwhile, drivers at Manston were being held at the site because of the issues in Dover.
It sparked a mass protest, with hundreds of truckers blockading roads surrounding Manston, and even pushing a huge concrete rock into the carriageway. Shortly before midday, the Thanet site reached its 4,000 capacity after more lorry drivers arrived in the hope of getting tested.
Trucks were then diverted to join Operation Brock, on the M20.
As the Gazette went to press, authorities still faced the monumental task of getting all truckers across the Channel by Christmas.
Those testing positive for Covid-19 were being put up in hotels and told to isolate. Despite the disruption, North Thanet MP Roger Gale described the operation as a “considerable success story”. “From a standing start, in 24 hours, they have done an incredible job,” he said.
“The drivers are getting hot food, they’ve got sanitation, they’ve got hot water, they are organised and properly marshalled on the airfield. When I was there on Wednesday, the testing started and the trucks are now beginning to be released.
“The Manston exercise is a very considerable success story and I think the Department for Transport has handled that about as well as it can be handled. “The problems, and indeed there are some, are caused by a variety of things. One is there’s a degree of congestion. Manston is now full and some drivers are being sent back along the M20, where there is another testing station being established - and that has caused a few problems. I don’t want to pretend there aren’t problems, but it’s quite clear that the lorry park is beginning to move out as well as in.
“Provisions are being made to treat anybody who does have Covid, but we don’t expect there to be many of them. “This is a problem caused by the French and not the British. “Some of these people have a long drive ahead of them on the other side of the Channel, so I can’t tell you they’ll definitely get home for Christmas. But from our end the Department for Transport and Kent County Council, they’ve done a very good job under very difficult circumstances.”