Ireland has turned an old customs post on its border with the UK into a construction site, raising fears that it could soon be used to carry out checks on goods in a ‘no deal’ Brexit scenario.

The site of the old customs post, which sits on the edge of the Republic of Ireland side of the border in the town of Lifford, was demolished and resurfaced earlier this year and a “keep out” sign has been fixed on the entrance.

It comes after Northern Irish police on the other side of the border cancelled the sale of a police station in Castlederg as a precautionary measure, in case backup forces were required to maintain order.

Border communities fear that a return to checkpoints and customs posts on the 310-mile crossing would wreck the economy and undermine the peace process, as dissident Republican groups have already threatened to carry out attacks on any new infrastructure, such as animal inspection centres.

As a result, nearly all political parties in Northern Ireland support the controversial Irish backstop clause, which would eliminate the need for checks. The main exception is the DUP, which says the backstop would carve off Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.