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Truck tailbacks stretch 20 MILES at Dover: Thousands of lorries queue for ferries as ports in UK and Calais are paralysed by shipping container crisis
A container of goods from China to Felixstowe is now at $10,000 (£7,500) per load - four times the usual rate
British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) say Government must act
They claim containers of toys and good are stuck in log-jam with PPE in particular clogging up UK ports
Cost of a container of goods from Qingdao, China to Felixstowe, Suffolk is now at $10,000 (£7,500) per load
A tidal wave of trucks now believed to be at 12,000 per day or more is crossing Channel - up 2,000 per day
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Thousands of giant crates full of PPE have reportedly been shifted from Felixstowe to ports in Ipswich and Tilbury after clogging up the Suffolk harbour since the summer.
The huge stockpile was previously dubbed a national scandal after it was claimed the continuing logjam of safety equipment including masks, aprons and gloves was costing the Government £1million a day to store.
The PPE had been sitting in thousands of containers at the Port of Felixstowe for months - with others piled up at a site opposite Melton Railway Station, the East Anglian Daily Times reported.
There were concerns last month that the crates may put further strain on the already struggling port - potentially causing chaos and increasing an already existing shipping backlog during the busy Christmas period.
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A container of goods from China to Felixstowe is now at $10,000 (£7,500) per load - four times the usual rate
British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) say Government must act
They claim containers of toys and good are stuck in log-jam with PPE in particular clogging up UK ports
Cost of a container of goods from Qingdao, China to Felixstowe, Suffolk is now at $10,000 (£7,500) per load
A tidal wave of trucks now believed to be at 12,000 per day or more is crossing Channel - up 2,000 per day
The delays at container ports means many hauliers are switching to using ferries and the Channel Tunnel
BBC News
By Beth Timmins & Vivienne Nunis
BBC News
image copyrightAFP
image captionToy store owner Hellen Stirling-Baker says container delays have cost her £20,000 in sales so far - 40% of her annual turnover
Delays at UK ports mean a number of toy orders will now miss Christmas, according to the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA).
The industry body has called on the government to help save the festive season by easing port congestion.
Hellen Stirling-Baker, who runs a Sheffield shop, says she has lost £20,000 in sales because of container delays, or 40% of her annual turnover.
Other shops say it is impossible to order some popular toys including Lego.