Leaked government documents which reportedly say there could be 48-hour delays at Dover in the event of a no-deal Brexit have moved hauliers to warn of the “clear and present danger” to the UK supply chain.

Sky News said it had seen documents which suggest vehicles could face a two-day delay at the Kent port in a no-deal scenario, and the revelation has led to industry insiders saying the government has “failed to deliver”.

Rod McKenzie, the managing director of policy at the Road Haulage Association (RHA), said it came as absolutely no surprise to him that such a document existed, adding that there was still no sign of a new customs process with just weeks left before the UK is expected to leave the EU.

He had not seen the Department for Transport documents (DfT), but said he understood they were more recent than the leaked Operation Yellowhammer files which contained predictions of a three-month “meltdown” at ports in the event of no deal.

“The Road Haulage Association has been saying this for quite literally years now that if there is a no-deal Brexit, there will be very substantial queues at the border,” McKenzie said. “We have got a very, very serious problem with the UK supply chain if there is a no-deal Brexit on 31 October from where we are now.

“This is a clear and present danger to the supply chain on which we all depend, and we are calling on the government in the clearest terms to make it clear what traders have to do to trade with the continent. This they have failed to do so far.”

Sky News said on Sunday night that analysis commissioned by the DfT suggested that on the first day of a no-deal Brexit, the worst-case scenario would be a two-day maximum delay for freight and vehicles at Dover, and an average wait of a day-and-a-half.

McKenzie said any delay at the ports would cause a “very, very substantial traffic jam”, adding: “What we are saying is that we urgently need clarity from this government, having not had it from the previous government, we urgently need clarity from this government of what traders have to do to get ready for a no-deal Brexit.”

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On 7 August, the RHA was among organisations meeting Michael Gove, who is in charge of planning for no deal, plus the home secretary, Priti Patel, and the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, in Dover to discuss preparations for Brexit at the border.

He said there have been “countless” meetings with both the current and previous government. “What we need is action, and we need action now. And there’s this gap between what they say they’re going to do and what they have so far failed to deliver.”

Kevin Green of the Freight Transport Association – which speaks for the logistics industry – said he was concerned that there was “still much which the sector needs clarification on in order to ensure that Britain keeps trading after Brexit”.

He added: “The sector is flexible and agile but needs to know what it is preparing for – and today’s report shows that there is still much that is uncertain. With so little time left, logistics businesses need the support of government to ensure that the UK’s interconnected supply chain is protected after the UK leaves the EU.”



