Lorry loads of items donated by people across south Wales to help those fleeing the war in Ukraine are being delayed from getting through to those who need them 'because of red tape at customs'.
The delivery of an 'overwhelming' response to an appeal by a Neath church has stalled due to issues with the paperwork needed for the items to pass through customs at the UK border, meaning the products have had to go into storage.
And the church has now had to employ security to keep an eye on the mountains of donations, after they were targeted by people wanting to take them away for themselves.
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The revelation comes after a number of charities have claimed customs red tape brought about by Brexit is delaying supplies getting to the Ukrainian border to ease the humanitarian crisis, with more than two million people reported to have fled their homes as Russia continues its invasion.
Pastor John Williams, of NMCC Family Church in Melyn, Neath, said they had received a 'mind-blowing' response to their appeal, but said volunteers faced a 'nightmare task' in sorting out the donations to satisfy the paperwork demanded by UK customs.
He declined to comment on whether he thought changes to customs procedure brought about by Brexit was to blame.
But importers now have to make a full customs declaration on goods entering the UK from the EU or other countries, or vice versa. It's due to the UK being considered a "third country" post-Brexit. This is because the UK is no longer part of the trade bloc, part of the EEA which shares the Single Market, or has a customs union agreement such as Turkey has.
Pastor Williams said: "Customs has been the issue. We have had thousands and thousands of carrier bags and boxes, with scores of items in each. There have been an array of items, from food parcels, shampoo, nappies, wet wipes and the likes.
"The generosity has been overwhelming. But they come from all sorts of sources, such as Tesco and Aldi and Asda, but that is not satisfactory for customs. They need to know the source, the product codes, the quantity.
"We have got 80 or 90 pallet loads in stock and to source and sort out that in that volume would just be a nightmare task, and there is no leeway being given on aid leaving customs. We can't just put a generic box saying 'shampoo' for instance. Customs want to open the box and know what is in it.
"That is the situation in the ports in the UK, with lorries laden with products. I think it is common sense if you let it go it would not take long to make a positive contribution to Ukrainian aid, but it is a major problem for everyone".
Pastor Williams said the delay had meant they'd had to put the donations in temporary storage - but added that they had been forced to employ security after a number of attempts to remove some of the items.
He said: "The response has been mind-blowing. We have had donations from Carmarthen, Laugharne, Brecon, Newport, and we've had to put it in a warehouse where the donations go from floor to ceiling. The community's reaction has been outstanding.
"But over the weekend we foiled attempts to have the stock taken away, which is why we have had to bring in security.
"Neath Port Talbot Council has been helpful in providing a safe facility, which obviously we are having to keep secret. But hopefully the issues will be resolved shortly and we can make further arrangements to get the donations to where they are needed".
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