Companies are “unlikely” to be able to find enough suitable staff to handle the paperwork

Customs brokers are bracing themselves for a surge in business after Brexit amid warnings that it will be almost impossible to meet demand if Britain crashes out of the European Union without a deal.

Trade specialists believe a hard Brexit would generate “far more business than we could ever handle” after Britain’s first official guidance urged companies to turn to brokers and freight forwarders.

“We’re going to be rather like a guy selling ice cream in a park with 10,000 people,” George Baker, chairman of a Felixstowe-based brokerage of the same name, said. “It’s going to be almost impossible to satisfy the demand.”

Technical papers published on Thursday recommend that companies trading with the EU consider renegotiating contracts, investing in warehousing and buying customs software