The Port of Ramsgate is being dredged in order to turn the harbour into a “second Dover” in preparation for a no-deal Brexit.

Under Government plans revealed last week, the seaside port in Kent is being excavated so that ferries and large cargo ships can begin operating out of the harbour again.

Dredging began on Thursday morning, with a Dutch company brought in to complete the work.

It comes after the Department for Transport last week awarded a £13.8 million contract to Seaborne Freight to operate a ferry service from Ramsgate to the coastal Belgian city of Ostend.

More than £100 million has been allocated to three ferry companies as part of the Government’s emergency preparations, which have been described as a “situation of extreme urgency”.

Ministers hope reopening Ramsgate to ferry services will create additional capacity to offset the potential disruption caused by no deal, with government official warning of severe delays at Dover and other major ports.