Brexit: Movies show long queues in Holyhead, Kent, in the middle of storage

• There are disruptions in UK ports as the UK prepares to leave EU trade rules in just two weeks.
• Business Insider footage showed queues of heavy vehicles waiting to arrive at Holyhead Harbor in Wales.
• Another video showed similar scenes in Kent, where the trucks were trying to reach the Eurotunnel.
• The congestion is partly due to companies making late efforts to store goods before 1 January.
• The Labor Party has accused the Boris Johnson government of not supporting British ports.
• Go to the Business Insider homepage for more stories.

Footage captured in the last 24 hours shows long queues of heavy vehicles heading to British ports, while companies rush to store goods before the UK leaves the Brexit transition period in just two weeks.

Britain will break away from EU trade rules on New Year’s Eve and there will be a disruption at Britain’s borders, regardless of whether the British government of Boris Johnson and EU leaders manage to conclude a new free trade agreement in time.

With new controls and controls on cross-border trade on the horizon, there has been a sharp rise in freight movements across the UK, as companies try to build up the supply of goods and avoid potential shortages of everyday products, such as food and drink next month.

This is taking place on the UK’s border with the EU across the English Channel and between the UK and Northern Ireland, beyond the Irish Sea. The latter is due to the fact that Northern Ireland will continue to comply with EU rules from next year in order to avoid a controversial hard border with the Republic of Ireland.

Simon Palmer, communications manager for Stena Line Ports in Ireland, told Business Insider that businesses, including large supermarkets, were carrying six times more goods between Holyhead Port in Wales and Northern Ireland than they normally would. “Anything can store, store,” he said.

He added that Holyhead, the second largest port in the UK, had recorded record levels of freight movements across the Irish Sea in the past three weeks, due to an “absolutely massive” increase in volumes by twenty per cent compared to last year.

Business Insider footage showed queues of trucks up to seven kilometers to Holyhead on Thursday.

The congestion at Holyhead Harbor is the result of a triple misfortune: Brexit storage, adverse weather conditions and the temporary suspension of another ferry service from Merseyside to Northern Ireland due to a coronavirus outbreak among the crew.

—Adam Payne (@ adampayne26) December 17, 2020

Seamus Leheny, Policy Director of Logistics UK in Northern Ireland, said that “the withdrawal and congestion at Holyhead is a concern for Irish supply chains in both the North and the South, as it is the main route for consumer goods.” in Time ”, so that any delay will affect retail and production. “

He said: “We have many members who are concerned about this, which is fueled by storage in preparation for the end of the Brexit transition period. The government needs to listen to the concerns of UK ports such as Holyhead, and assist where possible to avoid further disturbance in the coming weeks and months. “

Stephen Crabb, a Conservative member of Parliament and chairman of the select committee on Welsh affairs, warned on Thursday that Welsh ports would face other ferry services next year due to disruptions caused by Brexit.

In an article for Business Insider, he said there were still big unanswered questions about how new controls would work at Holyhead, Fishguard and Pembroke Dock in Wales – including where new infrastructure would be built.

Separate images published by Sky News on Friday morning showed similar scenes in Folkestone, Kent, where trucks were queuing on the M20 to reach the Eurotunnel.

—Sky News (@SkyNews) December 18, 2020

Rachel Reeves, the obscure chancellor of the Labor Party of the Duchy of Lancaster, accused the Johnson administration of not providing ports like Holyhead with the support they need to prepare for the transition period.

“Ministers are wasting millions on crony contracts, but Holyhead is only receiving £ 253,061 in the port infrastructure fund, many will wonder what this government’s priorities are,” she told Business Insider.

“The response to legitimate questions about transparency about how our ports are supported has been shocking. Ministers need to urgently explain what is happening and ensure that businesses do not pay the price for this incompetence.”

Business Insider asked the government for comments.