The huge traffic jam of trucks that want to go by boat from the English port of Dover to mainland Europe has been getting smaller since yesterday. That reports de BBC† Carriers do warn that the quality of fresh products decreases due to the long wait.
The British Meat Processing Association (BMPA) says a number of lorries were stuck for one or two days. “When such delays occur, the shelf life and value of the product diminish,” said BMPA chief executive Nick Allen.
“If products are delivered late or less fresh, we will lose customers in the EU,” Allen thinks. “They then look for suppliers in other countries who do deliver on time.”
‘Priority not realistic’
British carriers want a system in which trucks with perishable products have priority in the queue at busy times. But according to Minister Eustice of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, it is difficult to set up such a system in a short time and for many trucks.
“You have to think of something to register the lorries, get them together in one area and then direct them past the other traffic to get onto the ferry,” he told the BBC. According to him, the emphasis should now be on eliminating the backlog in order to get everything moving again.
Combination of factors
Minister Eustice speaks of a temporary problem, partly caused by an increase in traffic at the beginning of the Easter period. Freight traffic to the port has been completely blocked since Friday.
The congestion was exacerbated by technical difficulties at UK customs and personnel problems at shipping company P&O Ferries† That company normally carries out a third of the crossings to the European mainland, but has not sailed for several weeks. Other shipping companies could no longer cope with the extra demand.
Some drivers were stuck for more than 24 hours before making the crossing. At its peak, there was more than 30 kilometers of traffic jams, with about 2000 trucks.
From the air it looked like this:
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