Kent council leaders say the Government must take urgent action to prevent travel chaos when new post-Brexit border checks come into effect later this year – amid warnings of huge queues and problems with food supplies.
The launch of the Entry Exit System (EES) has been delayed until November amid fears it will spark mayhem at sites like Dover, and snarl up local roads.
The new border IT system will require most non-EU nationals – including UK citizens – to register fingerprints, a photo, and passport details.
In a letter to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, 14 cross-party council leaders warn that testing of tablets to carry out checks on drivers had been “wholly unreliable”.
They say the Government’s failure to share its own modelling data for a worst-case scenario on traffic “presents a significant risk to our planning”.
Analysis by Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF) suggests traffic caused by EES checks is expected to be much worse than the queues of more than 14 hours seen in summer 2022, the letter warns.
“Significant queuing threatens to become very frequent at the border and back onto the road network in Kent,” the council leaders predict.
Sites have been identified where tourist traffic can be taken off the roads so EES checks can be processed before drivers arrive at ports. However these will not be ready before next summer, the letter adds, with ministers urged to provide clarity on when they can be used.
“Timely Government decisions and confirmation about this additional infrastructure are urgently needed, as these sites need to be rapidly developed in order that they can be up and running as soon as possible,” it says.
“Even if a decision is made in the next few weeks, the sites won’t be ready before July 2025.”
Under EES, third-country travellers, including Britons, will register their biometric details at the border the first time they visit a participating EU or Schengen Area nation – meaning longer processing times. EES will not apply for travel to Ireland or Cyprus.
This new system will replace the manual stamping of passports on entry and exit from the bloc.
The Port of Dover is bracing for its busiest summer since before the pandemic, with warnings of “horrendous” traffic this weekend as holidaymakers head to the Olympics.
National food supply chains would also be “fundamentally impacted” if EES leaves Kent gridlocked, leading to “extremely serious delays for international trade”, the council leaders tell Ms Cooper in the letter.
“A quarter of all food imported into the UK from the EU passes through the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel,” they write.
“If Kent is gridlocked, supply chains will be fundamentally impacted, and therefore the implementation of EES checks is not just a Kent problem – but a national problem.
“We continue to press for urgent action, given that these checks threaten to result in extremely serious delays for international trade, those travelling through Kent, and will have a knock-on effect on our local communities, residents, businesses, tourism.”
Industry insiders have raised concerns about when an EU app to slash waiting times at border points – such as Dover and Eurostar at St Pancras – will be brought in. The technology is not set to be available when EES launches in November.
The council chiefs say ministers need to work with the EU to find a technological solution to allow the Port of Dover to process passengers quickly.
They warn: “Due to the lack of space, the only current solution is to use tablets. Initial testing of these has found them to be wholly unreliable.
“We are extremely concerned that no solution to this problem has yet been found, and that nothing will be in place before the autumn.”
Limited space at Dover could add to lengthy delays for tourist traffic, with improvements not expected to be completed for several years, they add.
With the clock ticking, the council leaders urge the Government to share its own data showing how bad queues could be, so preparations can be bolstered.
They call for “a single version of the truth in relation to scenarios and data modelling” to be shared with partners.
“The ongoing and frustrating absence of access for all KMRF partners to the Government’s Reasonable Worst Case Scenario (RWCS), and the modelling commissioned by Kent County Council but funded by the Department for Transport, now presents a significant risk to our planning,” they add..
A Government spokesperson said:”The new Government is reviewing the preparations that have been made so far ahead of EES being introduced by the EU.
“This includes making sure ports and carriers have the right technology and processes in place so EES registration can take place as smoothly as possible.
“We are also working closely with the European commission, local authorities and agencies as well as the travel industry to ensure they’re preparing effectively for the introduction of the EU’s new border checks.”