Brexit Customs Checks Make a Quiet Debut at U.K. Ports
Starting the new rules on a holiday helped, with some predicting more confusion and backups in the days ahead.
Dover, Britain’s busiest port, early on Friday.Credit...Peter Cziborra/Reuters
Published Jan. 1, 2021Updated Jan. 4, 2021
LONDON — At the ports and terminals on Britain’s southeastern coast, a new era began on Friday morning without much fuss. Ferries and trains that carry goods to France from Dover and Folkestone were running on time, and drivers snaked their trucks into the port unencumbered by congestion.
To all appearances, little may have changed on Jan. 1, the country’s first day outside the European Union’s single market and customs union. It was, after all, a public holiday and not much business was taking place.