A MAN has been arrested in Kent after lorry drivers stranded there by the French travel ban clashed with police.
More than 6000 HGVs were held in the county, with drivers being tested for Covid-19 before they are allowed into France.
There were reports yesterday of disturbances at Dover and the “lorry park” at Manston airfield, but the leader of Kent Council, Roger Gough, said the first 20 trucks had entered the Eurotunnel to make the crossing. A handful of police officers could be seen in film footage trying to push back a crowd of protesting drivers in Dover.
Kent Police said the man was arrested for obstructing a highway and remained in custody. The force added that a police car was damaged at Manston.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said it may take a “few days” to clear the backlog of lorries waiting to cross into France, despite travel restrictions being eased.
Gough said 100 lorries had left the Manston site for Dover but had been unable to get to the port as it was being blocked by other vehicles. He told Sky News: “On the M20 side of things, the first 20 HGVs have gone into Eurotunnel,” and added that the number should “pick up” rapidly.
Meanwhile, a Scots food industry boss has warned that producers with goods stuck in Kent are set for a “black Christmas”.
READ MORE: 'Lunatic prospect': SNP's blistering attack on Westminster as Brexit time ticks
France banned entry because of the more infectious variant of coronavirus that was found in the UK, but a deal was struck with the French government to allow freight through, with drivers being tested before crossing. However, Food and Drink Federation Scotland (FDFS) chief executive, David Thomson, said clearing the backlog will take days, with some produce being ruined by the wait.
“For those people who export fresh and perishable goods, particularly seafood and salmon in Scotland, it’s been an absolutely disastrous few days and it will lead to a black Christmas for those businesses,” he told the BBC.
“The deal will be far too late for many people who are delivering perishable goods to the continent.
“It’s too late now to get to customers before Christmas.”
Thomson said companies had told the FDFS that the loss of Christmas sales could spell the end of their operations.
He said: “We’ve heard of companies that are saying this is the final straw for them ... People have to pay farmers and fishermen, people have to deal with the customers they’ve let down and they will not make the money that they would do in what is of course the most lucrative few days of the year for most food businesses in the lead up to Christmas. Many, many businesses are going to have a very difficult few days trying to work out if they continue.”
Despite the worries over exports, Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday she has no concerns about shortages of food in Scotland because of the delays. The First Minister told MSPs: “Supermarkets are well stocked. And so there is absolutely no need for anyone to buy more than planned.”
She also called for perishable goods to be prioritised as lorries get moving again in Kent, tweeting on Tuesday: “We still await detail of the agreement, but if freight starts moving tomorrow – as we must hope it will – the plan to prioritise perishable produce such as seafood should be activated immediately.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article