The chairman of the port of Calais has told Chris Grayling not to darken his shore again, as he accused the Transport Secretary of showing "disrespect" by planning to divert sea traffic from the French town in a 'no deal' Brexit scenario.

Jean-Marc Puissesseau said Mr Grayling gave no warning about the proposal to effectively bypass Calais, despite attending a meeting with port officials who assured him that they were ready to cope with post-Brexit red tape such as customs checks.

“Mr Grayling came to us in November and asked us if we would be ready. We told him 'yes', though we did not know as much as we know today. He did not tell us that he wanted to reduce the activity [at Calais],” Mr Puissesseau told the Telegraph.

“It is not fair at all, it is completely disrespectful. I don’t want to see him again."

Mr Grayling awarded the ‘no deal’ contingency contract to Seaborne Freight, a move that has proven to be controversial as the firm does not have any ferries.

Though Dover and Calais are working closely together at the regional level to avoid disruption after Brexit, the Government’s decision to divert goods to the Belgian port of Ostend has strained relations.