EXCLUSIVE: A local MP says she is urging the Government to implement a better solution to a “nightmare situation”
Operation Brock is rolled out when HGV traffic is expected to be higher (Image: PA)
Residents have vented their fury at the reintroduction of a contraflow system on a major UK motorway which reportedly makes it the “slowest” in the country. Operation Brock, which consists of a barrier system creating a dedicated lane for HGVs, is being put in place between junctions 8 and 9 over the Spring Bank Holiday and May half term. It operates when higher volumes of traffic heading to Europe through Kent are anticipated.
National Highways says the M20 is open with the contraflow system in operation. Officials say EU freight traffic should use the motorway, or the A20 for Eurotunnel and the Port of Dover. The traffic management system is also open in both directions for non-port traffic. But National Highways adds that junctions 8 and 9 westbound and junctions 7 to 9 eastbound are closed for Operation Brock “installation or removal”. Diversion routes are in place.
Local Tim Lindrup, 63, a semi-retired part-time coach driver who lives in the village of Aldington south of Ashford, has sent a letter seen by the Express to his MP in the Weald of Kent, Conservative Katie Lam. He said the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF) – a partnership of agencies including Kent Police, Kent County Council and National Highways – had rolled out the scheme “on the off chance that there might be some congestion in Dover”.
Tim Lindrup has complained to his MP (Image: Tim Lindrup)
Mr Lindrup added: “KMRF don’t realise how dangerous it is to cram all the Dover bound and London bound vehicles onto one side of the M20, I have to use the M20 regularly and dread going anywhere when Brock is on which is becoming more and more regular.”
“I won’t mention the crazy cost of implementing it, which of course is huge, but it’s just the danger of it all.” He added: “I seriously cannot remember the last time I saw a lorry stacked in Operation Brock. I have tried to complain to KMRF but they don’t take complaints and it says to write to your local MP.
“In Ashford we have an HGV lorry park in Sevington which is a Customs area for foreign lorries, it’s absolutely massive and they should consider parking lorries here if they ever need to stack them not block one of our major motorways.”
Ms Lam described the situation as a “nightmare” in her reply. She added: “Even before Operation Brock, lorry backlog on the M20 has been an issue for years.
“My Conservative colleagues, Helen Whately MP and Helen Grant MP, have pressed the government before to take steps to manage HGV traffic to Dover, and I am now joining them in doing so.”
Ms Lam then wrote that the decision to deploy Operation Brock “should never be taken lightly”, and that the government has “provided assurances that the Department for Transport is working alongside the KMRF to continually improve how their traffic management plans operate”.
The MP added: “Progress remains to be seen. Although disproportionately impacting our local communities and services here in Kent, the Government must recognise this is a national issue, impacting trade, jobs and our domestic economy.
“I will continue to follow developments closely and – working alongside my fellow Kent MPs – hold the government to account on ensuring that future deployments of Operation Brock are effective and have minimal impact on local communities.
“In Parliament, I am also on the Transport Select Committee, another platform through which I will push the Government to do what needs to be done to resolve this situation, and to represent the concerns of my constituents in the Weald of Kent.”
Operation Brock is frustrating residents in Kent (Image: PA)
KMRF Strategic Lead for border disruption, Simon Jones, said: “We do not take the decision to use Operation Brock without having clear data of increased border crossings to inform our planning.
“Until the government agrees permanent, long-term solutions to tackle disruption on Kent’s roads and delays at the border during busy periods, Operation Brock is the only option available to the KMRF.”
A Government spokesperson said: “This is a direct result of the Brexit deal we inherited from the previous government. The deployment of Operation Brock is a decision for the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum. We recognise the impact it has on residents which is why we’re working closely with partners to improve safety, reduce local impact and develop longer-term traffic solutions.“Our new deal with the EU aims to ease lorry queues into the UK, ending the routine checks on food and drink products.”All traffic measures, including Brock, are kept under constant review to ensure they’re used safely and only when absolutely necessary.”
