The Bunglers of Calais: Shapps says “agreement” struck on Channel chaos
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said an “agreement” has been reached with the French Government on travel across the Channel.
Some 3,000 lorries are backed up at Dover, with many in a holding area at Manston Airport.
Any agreement is likely to require testing for Covid-19 on one or both sides of the border.
The chaos has now dragged on for almost 48 hours after the decision by the French Government to block all UK travellers from entering due to the emergence of a Covid-19 mutation in the South East.
Earlier today the European Commission urged the French government to allow accompanied freight across the border.
PM Boris Johnson had earlier said the risk of transmission from a single haulier was “really very low.”
Hauliers are still advised not to travel to Kent, with the backlog likely to take days to clear.
Food trade lobbyists have warned that unless the backlog is cleared quickly, food shortages will almost certainly emerge in the UK in the period immediately after Christmas.
Read more: Progress being made on Brexit deal but fisheries still sticking point