Brexit border: Checks a ‘disaster’ as IT outages delay import of perishable items by up to 20 hours

Dozens of lorries were at the government’s control post serving Dover and the Channel tunnel for periods of between eight and 20 hours after the IT system that registers goods went down. Gareth Fuller/PA WireBusinesses have described the government’s new border control checks as a “disaster” after IT outages led to lorries carrying meat, cheese and cut flowers being held for long periods, reducing the shelf life of their goods and prompting retailers to reject some orders.

Several importers and customs agents whose lorries were stopped at the Sevington post in Ashford, Kent, over the weekend after the IT system failed. A manager at the company, who preferred not to be named, said: “We were expecting maximum hold-ups of four hours, and, if they weren’t checked by then, they would be released. This is a lot longer.”

The managing director of a Polish transport company said the weekend had been a “disaster” for importers, resulting in a lot of angry customers. “There was huge disorder, and a lack of information about the status of the lorries,” he said. A representative of a company that sends 70 lorries a week to the UK, said it had seen 40 vehicles sent to Sevington last week for document checks, with the hold-ups leading to some customers rejecting deliveries.

Nigel Jenney, the chief executive of the Fresh Produce Consortium, said: “There’s been several incidents like this in the last two weeks, and several much more minor issues. There is a huge concern factor. This is causing not just huge disruption, but it’s a huge cost for the sector.”

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