No Deal Brexit will put a lorry park on my doorstep
AS someone who lives close to the M26 and a local parish councillor, I am devastated at the plan to convert the motorway into a lorry park if there is a No Deal Brexit. The plan, which was not disclosed to local councillors or MPs by the Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling until a few hours before work began last week, will see the M26 motorway closed overnight up to Christmas for roadworks. One of the local MPs Sir Michael Fallon admitted to me that he was shocked at this move. This is terrible for local people who are already suffering from the lack of a slip road to the motorway, which causes a high volume of traffic through local villages. People are worried that we might end up with the biggest lorry car park in Europe on our doorstep, with the Border Agency operating next to our homes and schools. Our MP Tom Tugendhat has been campaigning with us for a junction 5 slip road to improve air quality and stop local roads being used as a rat run. I believe that the possible closing of the M26 for Brexit lorry stacking is the real reason why the Department of Transport has dropped the possibility of a slip road. What a low blow. Imagine all the lorries coming from Hastings and Tunbridge Wells towards Sevenoaks that can’t get onto the M26 eastbound towards Maidstone because there is no slip road. So how would they join the lorry park? All the traffic will end up in local villages. Cllr BARTOSZ WLODARCZYK,
Borough Green, Kent.