More than one thousand extra full-time customs and veterinary inspectors are to be employed as part of the government's contingency plans for Brexit, Independent.ie can reveal.

The posts will be required to manage the major administrative burden imposed by the UK leaving the EU's customs union.

Sign-off for the massive recruitment drive was given by cabinet this afternoon.

Current and new staff will have to be trained, and the government will have to invest in new data storage systems.

The roles will be for all of the state's six ports and three airports, and will be mostly based in Dublin.

The contingency plans will have to be ready for implementation by March next year when Brexit is due to happen.

It comes as Brussels and Dublin becomes increasingly jittery over mayhem in British parliament triggered by dissent within the Tory party.

Tanaiste Simon Coveney said earlier that British inconsistency over its Brexit plans were "very frustrating".

In spite of publishing its white paper on Brexit plans last Friday, the British government has been beset by resignations and a series of harmful amendments to the proposals.

Online Editors