Truckers are currently facing delays of up to 24 hours to cross the Channel with their goods. UK hauliers carrying perishable goods say their goods are losing quality and value due to massive traffic disruptions. In an article about the chaos in Dover, the BBC blamed a combination of bad weather, the demand for an Easter holiday and the suspension of P&O ferry routes for the disruption.
Mr Campbell was unconvinced and criticized the BBC for failing to identify what he believed to be the main reason for the horrific queues – Brexit.
He tweeted: “@bbcnews’ often brilliant coverage of Ukraine stands in stark contrast to what happens whenever anything to do with Brexit is in sight and the Orwellian shadow of Tory appointments hangs over everything.
“How can someone write on Kent Qs without a B-word?”
However, the BBC journalist who wrote the article insisted that Brexit was not to blame.
Katie Prescott replied, “Hi Alastair, I wrote this article.
“The extraordinary queues recently at Dover are mainly due to capacity being cut by a third as P&O ferry routes are out of service.
“That’s why fresh meat companies want a priority lane.”
P&O suspended operations last month after firing nearly 800 employees without notice, leading to criminal and civil investigations.
The company hopes to resume operations on its Dover-Calais route next week pending regulatory approval.
Ms Price’s article referred to problems with a key IT system for customs checks after Brexit.
Remaining supporters were unswayed by Ms Price’s explanation and attacked the BBC for its Brexit bias.
READ MORE: “Wait!” Alastair Campbell slapped as he demanded the Tories throw away
“Well, this time you don’t have to say Brexit!”
The traffic chaos in Dover has been described as the worst since 2020, by the Kent Resilience Forum.
The organization runs Operation Brock, the traffic management scheme which allows lorries using the M20 to Dover between junctions eight and nine to use one side of the motorway, allowing other traffic to pass through the both directions.
Toby Howe, the forum’s tactical manager, told the BBC the system normally has a capacity of around 2,000 trucks, but now holds up to 4,000.
He said: “Generally Operation Brock would deal with all the incidents we have at the port and at the tunnel and have done so, but this is probably the worst incident since Christmas 2020 when the French closed the borders and we couldn’t release any traffic through the channel at all.”
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Source: www.express.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-04-10 15:46:55
