Transport en Logistiek Nederland (TLN), representing 5,000 Dutch transport entities, has highlighted significant delays and inadequate conditions at UK border posts following Brexit.
TLN reports average delays exceeding four hours, with instances of up to 20-hour holds, attributing these to new checks on plant and animal products. The facilities for drivers at these posts are criticized for being insufficient, often lacking basic amenities beyond water.
A detailed report by TLN, shared with the Guardian, voices concerns from hauliers about drivers' reluctance to undertake UK jobs under current conditions. The checks, aimed at preventing disease entry into the UK, are conducted at border control posts near ports including Killingholme, Harwich, and Felixstowe, with the largest being a government-run facility in Sevington, Ashford. TLN urges the UK government and port authorities to enhance facilities for drivers at these locations.
The report also called for more transparency from private border control post operators about when checks were carried out. It claimed that often companies can receive bills of between £300 and £800 for checks at privately run border posts but have no information on what checks took place.
The organization said that it did not have an issue with Brexit changes but was seeking dialogue with the UK government to seek improvements at the border.
Source: theguardian.com