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What it means as UK's vital trade routes are cut off by France

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date21 December 2020
Publication titleMyLondon (England)
New border restrictions in France have led to the closure of key trade routes in Kent on Sunday night.

It is likely to have severe ramifications for UK trade, which in recent days has seen around 10,000 lorries passing through the port of Dover every 24 hours.

Much of the trade passing through the Channel ports consists of perishable goods which need to reach their destination quickly.

But from midnight all traffic to France from the UK will be suspended for at least 48 hours.

– What could this mean for food and goods stocks in the UK

It is possible that these border restrictions could affect the flow of key goods into the UK.

Andrew Opie, of the British Retail Consortium, said: “The closure of France to UK traffic, including accompanied freight, poses difficulties for UK capacity to import and export key goods during the busy Christmas period.”

He suggested that while goods can still enter the UK from France, it may be that few haulage firms will be willing to send trucks and drivers across to the UK without a guarantee they can return to the EU in a timely manner.

It is believed that many retailers will have already stocked up on Christmas goods which should prevent immediate supply problems.

However any prolonged closure of the border with France would present difficulties for businesses, Mr Opie said.

– What about UK businesses which export goods to the continent

While lorries bearing products from France can still come into the UK, the same does not apply for many UK goods bound for the...

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