LevelFour moveisa ‘profound challenge’ HAULAGE FIRM FACES ‘PERFECT STORM’ LORRY BAN NIGHTMARE
Port closure disaster as Brexit looms
The decision to send mainland Scotland into level four lockdown has been described as“the most profound challenge”residents will face since the pandemic began.
Perthshire North MSP John Swinney spoke following the announcement that Boxing Day will see all non-essential shops and hospitality businesses in Perth and Kinross close for three weeks.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the move was essential to contain the spread of a new strain of coronavirus and to prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed in January.
The decision will be reviewed after two weeks on January 9 with level four in place until at least January 16.
Mr Swinney said:“I know how difficult this news will be to process, and I fully understand the levels of sadness and disappointment.
“As a government, we are truly sorry that these measures need to be put in place. However, in the face of a dangerous new strain of the virus, it is important that we act now to ensure that the situation we see in other parts of the UK does not arise in Perthshire.”
The block on UK exports to France has given a major Perth haulage firm a nightmare before Christmas.
After the Westminster Government admitted that a new mutant strain of COVID-19 was ‘out of control’, European countries responded by cancelling flights from the UK.
France went as far as barring trucks from Britain because of infection fears.
In Perth yesterday, George McLaughlan, the founder of McLaughlan Transport Ltd, was finding the new situation “problematic”.
His refrigerated lorry business, started in 1976, has never faced such a “perfect storm”.
He has routes to the continent dropping away, Spanish ports closed for the Christmas holiday and Brexit uncertainty.
McLaughlan Transport is operational 364 days of the year. December 25 is the only day it takes a rest.
The French decision to stop UK trucks arriving has huge implications for outbound Scottish produce transport.
Mr McLaughlan was on the phone throughout the weekend, trying to establish if refrigerated Perthshire agricultural produce - like live egg exports, potatoes, fruit, fish and meat - would be able to get delivered.
A consignment of 30,000
live eggs destined for Spain was in jeopardy as France had stopped British lorries arriving in its ports.
Mr McLaughlan said he spent Monday morning trying to get a solution and successfully arranged for a Spanish haulage company to take the eggs in unaccompanied lorries arriving in Calais.
“In this case the consignment will get to Spain. But it’s more arrangements, more time, more forms - and this is before Brexit. We work in both directions, the trucks we’ve sent to Europe cannot get back to us.”
The route to Holland via Hull remained open yesterday morning, but Mr McLaughlan said things were
“changing minute to minute”.
“Everything is very problematic. It is a perfect storm - the unexpected pandemic fallout and Brexit all at the same time. Anything that reduces connectivity reduces trade. The Dutch buy our Brussels sprouts. They get what we in Scotland don’t want after Christmas at reduced prices, it’s called ‘frustrated’ stock.
“If a huge duty gets slapped on that because of Brexit, well they won’t be looking to buy our Brussels in future and that is business gone for me.”
Mr McLaughlan had a second major problem. The 15 or so drivers he employs, many of whom are from Eastern Europe, were hoping to return to their families for Christmas.
“I really feel for these guys, we depend on them, we could not do what we do without them and they work hard here in Scotland to support families back home,” he said. “Now it looks like they won’t get home for Christmas.
“Four drivers who work for me had flights arranged. One had his flight to Bulgaria cancelled at 9pm last night. He was due to leave Scotland at lunchtime today (Monday). It’s so last minute. I see a lot of people who have worked hard all year being very disappointed.”
One of the McLaughlan drivers is 44-year-old Marcin Sulis. He has a wife and two children waiting in Poland.
“I’m trying to get across. I don’t know if we will be together now,” he said.