THE UK government has drafted in a disaster response charity to help stuck lorry drivers in the event of future chaos at Dover, it has emerged.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has signed a £200,000 a year contract with humanitarian charity RE:ACT to supply food and water to queues of vehicles waiting to cross the Channel, according to a report in The Guardian.
Assistance from the charity, which specialises in using military veterans to distribute help in war zones and following natural disasters, will be deployed if there are unscheduled delays of longer than two days.
The move comes after the Brexit chaos of December 2020, when businesses rushed to stockpile after Britain left the EU triggering gridlock for miles.
There were similar scenes in April 2022, when a combination of disruption to ferry services, the Easter holidays and technical issues with the website needed for documentation after Brexit saw queues stretch more than 20 miles to the Port of Dover.
Long delays have also happened during peak holiday times, such as in July 2022.
The contract, which started in November and will last for a year, indicates that the UK government anticipates similar scenarios could happen again.
Responding to the move, the SNP’s EU Accession spokesperson, Alyn Smith MP said: “Whilst this is undoubtedly the right thing to do, it should never have come to this.
"As with the economy, the Tory government’s handling of Brexit has been a disaster and taxpayers are footing the bill in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.
“Scotland doesn’t have to put up with this. We didn’t vote for Brexit and we shouldn’t have to pay the price of it.
"Independence is our route to full fiscal responsibility and back to the EU, the single market and freedom of movement.”
A UK Government spokesperson said: “Driver welfare is our priority and it’s only right we have robust emergency support in place in case of unprecedented issues at the border.
“There are currently no known congestion issues, and we continue to work across government and with our partners, including the French government, to ensure passengers have the smoothest journey possible.”
