The use of Manston Airfield as a temporary option to help hold lorries as part of Operation Stack – a multi-agency response to deal with the transport disruption – was announced by the Government recently.

Operation Stack is currently not in place but as and when it is required this is how it will work:

• All freight will first be stacked between junctions 8, Maidstone Services, and 9, Ashford, of the coastbound M20 and that section of the motorway will be closed to non-freight traffic.
• If more space is needed the closed section will extend to junction 11, Westenhanger.

When Manston Airfield is in use during Operation Stack, the routes for freight will be:

• Dover-bound freight coming from the West will use the M20 to junction 7, Maidstone, where it will be diverted via the A249, M2, and A299 to Manston.
• Dover-bound freight coming from the North (Dartford Crossing) will use the A2, M2 and A299 to Manston.
• From Manston, freight will use the A256 and A2 to Dover.
• Channel Tunnel-bound freight will stay on the M20.

The routes for tourists will be:

• Dover-bound tourist traffic will be encouraged to use the A2, M2 and A2.
• If already on the M20 Dover-bound tourist traffic will be diverted off at junction 7, Maidstone, and via the A249, M2, and A2 to Dover.
• Channel Tunnel-bound tourist traffic will use the M20 and A20 following the hollow circle diversion symbol.

The routes will be clearly signed and at various junctions along the M20, M2, and onward to Manston there will be either a Highways England, a Kent County Council Highways, or Kent Police patrol. Vehicle recovery resources will be at strategic pinch points to keep the route moving in the event of a breakdown and will work under the supervision of traffic officers.

Road users affected by Operation Stack are advised to plan ahead and check traffic conditions and advice from travel operators* before setting out; to leave plenty of time for journeys and while on the road to listen to travel news bulletins for latest information. Travellers are urged to particularly look out for local signs and electronic message boards that will guide them to their destinations.

The introduction of Manston Airfield into Operation Stack when required will provide short term additional capacity to help manage freight traffic on its way to Dover Port. It will work alongside the existing Operation Stack to help reduce disruption on the M20. The priority is to keep traffic and goods moving and ensure people on both sides of the Channel can go about their lives as normally as possible.

Highways England continues to work hard with partners including Kent County Council and local councils on medium to long term solutions to the disruption.

PLEASE SEE USEFUL LINKS

Operation Stack: route maps https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/operation-stack-route-maps

Operation Stack: freight guidance leaflets  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/operation-stack-freight-guidance-leaflet

Contact your travel operator before setting off on your journey. Here are a few useful numbers:

• Eurotunnel – call 08444 630000.
• Eurostar – visit www.eurostar.com
• The Port of Dover – call 01304 240 400 or visit www.doverport.co.uk

For the most up-to-date information:

• Check the Highways England website – www.highways.gov.uk or follow @HighwaysSEAST on Twitter.
• Visit the Kent Police Twitter page – www.twitter.com/kent_police

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Information for Freight Drivers

Operation Stack Leaflet – English

Operation Stack Leaflet – French

Operation Stack Leaflet – German

Operation Stack Leaflet – Italian

Operation Stack Leaflet – Polish

Operation Stack Leaflet – Spanish

Operation Stack Map – French

Operation Stack Map – German

Operation Stack Map – Italian

Operation Stack Map – Polish

Operation Stack Map – Spanish

Operation Stack – Routes for Freight

Operation Stack – Routes for Tourist

The CBI is working with the government to communicate the on-going impact to business of recent French industrial action and the migrant situation in Calais. Feeding in member views to BIS and the Home Office, the CBI has emphasised the importance of not only resolving the immediate situation, but also the impact of the backlogs it has caused. Responding, the government has highlighted the following actions being taken in conjunction with French authorities:

• Establishing a secure, 300 truck capacity fenced parking area within the Calais port;
• erecting of a secure fence around the Coquelles freight terminal and its approach roads;
• promoting enhanced lorry security amongst both industry and the wider Brussels / European community;
• dissuading migrants at their point of origin through a new communication strategy; and
• facilitating talks to resolve the situation between French unions and DFDS to avoid further strike action.

The CBI will be actively monitoring further developments in the area, and as part of this work is exploring hosting a business briefing session with senior Home Office and BIS officials later in the year.

Katja Hall, CBI Deputy Director-General, said:

“While clearly hampering holidaymakers, the disruption at Calais also has an economic impact as exporters are being delayed getting their goods to market.

“We urge both the UK and French Governments and all those involved to work quickly to resolve the situation and maintain clear routes.”

ENDS

For more information, please contact fionnuala.horrocks-burns@cbi.org.uk

“P&O Ferries’ customers at the port of Calais have thankfully not been affected by the well-publicized problems which we have seen at Eurotunnel. Traffic on the slip roads can access the port freely, cars and lorries queue safely and efficiently in a secure area, and there is no point at which illegal migrants come into contact with our passengers.”

“We would like to reassure all tourist and freight customers travelling to the continent that P&O Ferries’ services will make 58 sailings today to or from Calais and that the port is safe. If the situation were to change for any reason, we would of course inform them immediately.”

P&O Ferries is a leading pan-European ferry operator, sailing on nine major routes between Britain, France, Ireland, Holland and Belgium. The company operates 20 vessels which carry more than 10 million passengers, 1.6 million cars and two million freight units every year.

(ENDS)

Contacts: Dan Bridgett, Natalie Hardy, Natalie Hall & Val Holness

Tel: +44(0)1304 863833 (24 hours)

E-mail: communications@POferries.com

Released on 28th July 2015

The European Seaway – a 23,000 ton ship with the capacity to carry up to 120 freight vehicles – will return to the Dover-Calais route for the peak season from the beginning of August. It is expected to make eight sailings a day.

The European Seaway will supplement P&O Ferries’ existing five ship fleet on Dover-Calais which makes up to 50 sailings a day.

From August, P&O Ferries will be making 58 sailings a day across the English Channel in total – more than any other ferry company.

Janette Bell, Commercial Director at P&O Ferries, said: “The European Seaway will give us more capacity, and better equip us to support our freight customers, at a time when cross-Channel traffic is increasing in volume. By freeing up freight space on our five other Dover-Calais ships, it will also enable us more effectively to carry tourists between Britain and France during the peak summer season.”

“The route between Dover and Calais is vital to the British and French economies, to hundreds of thousands of businesses whose supply chains depend on cross-Channel travel, and to the millions of tourists whose holidays begin on one of our ferries. We are doing everything we can to ensure that this vital sea crossing functions as efficiently as possible.”

P&O Ferries is a leading pan-European ferry operator, sailing on nine major routes between Britain, France, Ireland, Holland and Belgium. The company operates 20 vessels which carry more than 10 million passengers, 1.6 million cars and two million freight units every year.

(ENDS)

Contacts:             Dan Bridgett, Natalie Hardy & Natalie Hall

Tel: +44(0)1304 863833 (24 hours)

E-mail: communications@POferries.com

Released on 16 July 2015

In a difficult week this has been yet another reminder of the fundamental importance of Dover as a major gateway into the UK for both freight and passengers, supporting the UK economy. The port is a vital part of an industry that handles 95% of the country’s import and export trade.

We join with all those working for a permanent resolution of this dispute and a swift return to normal flows of passengers and freight.’

Notes

For further information about these and all port related issues, please contact:-

David Whitehead, Director

Email: david.whitehead@britishports.org.uk

Richard Ballantyne, Senior Policy Adviser

Email: richard.ballantyne@britishports.org.uk

Website: www.britishports.org.uk

Hosted by The National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS), Operation BRITCAR involved the cooperation of members of the Interpol Vehicle Crime Task Force, Europol, The National Crime Agency, United Kingdom Border Force, ACRO Criminal Records Office, The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and Trading Standards. UK Police Forces supporting the operation were Essex, Metropolitan, Hampshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Port of Dover.

Operation BRITCAR led to the recovery of stolen vehicles, two caravans and a ride on lawnmower. At the Port of Felixstowe, 13 containers were searched, one was found to be concealing nine stolen motorcycles that were bound for Africa and a further container held four suspected stolen superbikes.

The operation also identified numerous traffic violations for which a significant number of drivers were fined or had their vehicles seized. In some instances, drivers were arrested or given cautions for offences which included possession of a CS spray and a meat cleaver.

Since the beginning of the year, over 16,000 vehicles have been reported stolen across the UK, many of which are suspected to have been shipped in containers through ports in the south of England by organised criminal groups destined for southern Europe and Africa.

Operation BRITCAR, active over a five day period at the end of April 2015, saw law enforcement teams from across Europe deployed at ports in Dover, Southampton and Felixstowe and also on the motorway network on approach routes to ports of Tilbury and Portsmouth. Officers escorted vehicles from the road network to a safe location to speak with the drivers and examine the vehicles.

The operation resulted in the recovery of a stolen BMW and Mitsubishi L200 pickup truck, a stolen ride on lawnmower destined for eastern Europe, plus a suspected stolen trailer and two caravans, one of which had only been reported stolen 45 minutes before it was located and recovered.

Other offences identified included an HGV and trailer, which were two tons over their permissible weight, a vehicle displaying false foreign registration plates, a vehicle without a valid MOT certificate, a van with no insurance and a vehicle with a mechanical defect, which the DVSA deemed un-roadworthy. Several drivers were found to be working over their permitted hours and one was found to be disqualified from driving. At one site alone, fines totalling £2300 were issued.

NaVCIS spokesperson Detective Inspector Wayne Cooke said:

“Operation BRIT-CAR has been extremely successful in not only supporting the detection and recovery of stolen vehicles at locations across the UK, but also in building effective working relationships with a number of foreign law enforcement colleagues working alongside us. A vehicle towing a stolen caravan was recovered 40 minutes after it had been reported to authorities reflecting the commitment of law enforcement to take positive action to tackle vehicle crime. This operation will help develop further intelligence in relation to harm caused by vehicle crime, disrupting and apprehending the criminals responsible.”

Glyn Lewis, Director of Specialized Crime and Analysis at INTERPOL added:

“Joint actions such as Operation BRITCAR are amongst the most effective ways to combat the organized criminal groups behind the trafficking of stolen vehicles, a crime which transcends national borders.”

Ends

Notes to editors:

• The National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS), based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry, at is at the heart of national vehicle crime and is steadily growing its footprint in both the public and private sectors. Its specially trained officers run their own operations and disseminate key data, intelligence and advice to police forces, industry, government, partners, public and foreign enforcement agencies.
• For further information and photographs of Operation BRITCAR please contact the Communications Team on 02380 744635 or email communications@acro.pnn.police.uk

Turning a shared vision into reality

Since launching our flagship Dover Western Docks Revival (DWDR ) project in 2014, the Port has been working hard together with its customers, community and other stakeholders in order to start turning what has become a shared vision into a shared reality.

As we get closer to our biggest ever single investment in Dover, come along and share the latest news on how DWDR is moving forward to secure:

• 600 NEW JOBS
• THE CATALYST FOR THE WIDER REGENERATION OF DOVER
• LONG TERM PORT CAPACITY
• INWARD INVESTMENT

Come and engage with the team delivering one of the most important projects in the country and find out how we can collectively deliver all of these benefits to Dover.

The Port is committed to providing ongoing opportunities for public engagement on DWDR and as well as setting out the latest progress, we want to give you the chance to ask your questions and put forward your suggestions in moving this important project forward together for Dover.

Doors open from 5pm for refreshments. We look forward to welcoming you.