‘M26 lorry park’ work starts in case of no deal

Preparations have begun to turn a motorway into a lorry park in case of a no-deal Brexit.

On Wednesday night, Highways England began preparations for the M26 in Kent to be used as a holding area for lorries if there is gridlock due to delays at the nearby port of Dover.

There will be overnight closures on the motorway until Monday and in the run-up to Christmas between Nov 19 and Dec 21 while the work is carried out. Diversions will be in place via the M25 and M20. Tom Tugendhat, Tory MP for Tonbridge and Malling, said his community was being kept in the dark about the M26 work after receiving assurances that nothing was planned.