The Dutch government has completed the hiring of nearly 1,000 new customs officers to prepare for a looming “no deal” Brexit, according to a senior official in the country.

Pieter Omtzigt, the rapporteur on Brexit for the Dutch parliament, confirmed the recruitment had taken place – as weeks of turmoil linked to Theresa May’s new plan for exiting the EU paralyse the British government and raise the prospect of the UK crashing out of the bloc.

“As you may be aware, the Netherlands are, after Germany, the second trading partner with the UK within the EU – even before France, for example,” Mr Omtzigt, a Christian Democrat MP told the BBC.

“That means that because of the political uncertainty within the UK, I asked my government a year ago to start hiring new customs officials. They’ve hired almost a thousand customs officials just in case Britain crashes out.

“We’re a trading nation; we cannot afford our customs system to completely get stuck because from one day to the next we also have to check all the British exports of goods and services. We also hired veterinary officials because if you crash out, you also have that problem.”

Dutch port officials told The Independent this year the Netherlands’ customs authorities were aiming to hire between 750 and 930 officials – suggesting the number actually hired is right at the upper end of that early estimate as talks look increasingly likely to fail.

On Friday, ministers from the remaining 27 EU states are expected to be presented with a dossier drawn up by the European Commission laying out how to plan for a “no deal” Brexit.

We cannot afford our customs system to completely get stuck because from one day to the next we also have to check all the British exports Pieter Omtzigt, Dutch parliament Brexit chief

The Netherlands has been amongst the best prepared EU member states regarding Brexit, with ports like Rotterdam and hub airports like Schipol planning significant physical changes to accommodate the extra checks likely to slow down trade following Britain’s departure.

Preparations in the UK are behind schedule for a “no deal” scenario, with huge overflow lorry parks needed to accommodate freight in Kent not expected to be completed in time if Britain does crash out.

Mr Omtzigt was scathing at the UK’s lack of preparations for its Brexit talks and the timing of the white paper outlining the nation’s Brexit ambitions: “I share concerns that it’s a bit late in the day, that one year and four months after tabling the Article 50 notification, the UK makes a proposal.

The port of Rotterdam is planning to make significant changes for Brexit (Getty Images)

“I think it’s a proposal that’s a good starting point for negotiations – but it’s a proposal to start negotiations. It would have been helpful that that had been on the table the day the negotiations started.”

Ms May has repeatedly said “no deal is better than a bad deal” and threatened to lead the UK off an economic cliff edge if she does not get her way in talks with the EU.

Asked whether the UK was hiring more customs officers, cabinet office minister David Lidington said: “I think that all governments, including the United Kingdom government, have to plan for all contingencies.”

He added: “We’ll be making more public comment about our “no deal” preparations over the weeks to come and [secretary of state for exiting the European Union] Dominic Raab will be leading on that. There is a lot of work that’s been going on behind the scenes.”

Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures An abandoned shop is seen in Mullan, Co Monaghan. The building was home to four families who left during the Troubles. The town was largely abandoned after the hard border was put in place during the conflict. Mullan has seen some regeneration in recent years, but faces an uncertain future with Brexit on the horizon Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A defaced ‘Welcome to Northern Ireland’ sign stands on the border in Middletown, Co Armagh Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Mervyn Johnson owns a garage in the border town of Pettigo, which straddles the counties of Donegal and Fermanagh. ‘I’ve been here since 1956, it was a bit of a problem for a few years. My premises has been blown up about six or seven times, we just kept building and starting again,’ Johnson said laughing. ‘We just got used to it [the hard border] really but now that it’s gone, we wouldn't like it back again’ Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Farmer Gordon Crockett’s Coshquin farm straddles both Derry/Londonderry in the North and Donegal in the Republic. ‘At the minute there is no real problem, you can cross the border as free as you want. We could cross it six or eight times a day,’ said Crockett. ‘If there was any sort of obstruction it would slow down our work every day’ Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures John Murphy flies the European flag outside his home near the border village of Forkhill, Co Armagh Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Potter Brenda McGinn stands outside her Mullan, Co Monaghan, studio – the former Jas Boylan shoe factory which was the main employer in the area until it shut down due to the Troubles. ‘When I came back, this would have been somewhere you would have driven through and have been quite sad. It was a decrepit looking village,’ said McGinn, whose Busy Bee Ceramics is one of a handful of enterprises restoring life to the community. ‘Now this is a revitalised, old hidden village’ Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Union Flag colours painted on kerbstones and bus-stops along the border village of Newbuildings, Co Derry/Londonderry Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Grass reflected in Lattone Lough, which is split by the border between Cavan and Fermanagh, seen from near Ballinacor, Northern Ireland Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Donegalman David McClintock sits in the Border Cafe in the village of Muff, which straddles Donegal and Derry/Londonderry Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures An old Irish phone box stands alongside a bus stop in the border town of Glaslough, Co Monaghan Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Billboards are viewed from inside a disused customs hut in Carrickcarnon, Co Down, on the border with Co Louth in the Republic Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Seamus McQuaid takes packages that locals on the Irish side of the border have delivered to his business, McQuaid Auto-Parts, to save money on postal fees, near the Co Fermanagh village of Newtownbutler. ‘I live in the south but the business is in the North,’ said McQaid. "I wholesale into the Republic of Ireland so if there’s duty, I’ll have to set up a company 200 yards up the road to sell to my customers. I’ll have to bring the same product in through Dublin instead of Belfast’ Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A disused Great Northern Railway line and station that was for customs and excise on the border town of Glenfarne, Co Leitrim Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Alice Mullen, from Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland, does her shopping at a former customs post on the border in Middletown, Co Armagh. ‘I’d be very worried if it was a hard border, I remember when people were divided. I would be very afraid of the threat to the peace process, it was a dreadful time to live through. Even to go to mass on a Sunday, you’d have to go through checkpoints. It is terribly stressful,’ said Mullen. ‘All those barricades and boundaries were pulled down. I see it as a huge big exercise of trust and I do believe everyone breathed a sigh of relief’ Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A bus stop and red post box stand in the border town of Jonesborough, Co Armagh Reuters

The European Commission has repeatedly said border checks will be required for either customs or single market regulations if the UK is outside the single market and customs union.

The UK white paper on Brexit released at the start of the month proposed a system for frictionless trade that kept Britain outside the customs union and single market, but the idea appears to cross a number of EU red lines, with some officials suggesting it is unworkable, though possibly a good starting point for negotiations which are now entering their final three months.