worldwide, interconnected web, and what we are seeing here in felixstowe and beyond is when that web is disrupted. international trade is beginning to reawaken, and as there is more demand for goods shipped over to the uk, the system that gets them from the quayside to the shops is beginning to struggle. coming in but going out to slowly. felixstowe is the busiest container port in the uk, bringing in goods from around the world. but for months, the situation here and internationally has been getting worse as demand for goods grows after the pandemic. the situation is caused by a messy mix of global problems, including covid disruption. here in the uk it is made worse by a shortage of hgv drivers to take the goods away, and so, they built up. there are around 100,000 containers here. the port normally has around 60,000 to 70,000 on average. they aren t the only port in this position.
of the post brexit agreement, northern ireland has remained in the eu s single market and that s angered unionists who say it undermines northern 0ur ireland correspondent emma vardy reports from belfast. could this be the light at the end of the tunnel for businesses? bringing goods into northern ireland from great britain has become much more difficult under the brexit arrangements. going back to 2020, for a consignment of goods that s the paperwork that we had to produce. right. under the protocol in 2021 this is the paperwork for four or five pallets. and there could be multiple loads of this on one lorry. the uk government argues that difficulties are so serious that it now wants an entirely new treaty. we re seeing fewer if anybody wanting to begin moving goods
at uk ports will result in shortages this christmas. with thousands of containers stuck at ports, including felixstowe, and a serious shortage of hgv lorry drivers, there s widespread concern in the business community about future stocks. our transport correspondent caroline davies has the latest. coming in but going out too slowly. felixstowe is the busiest container port in the uk, bringing in goods from around the world. but for months, the situation at ports here and internationally has been getting worse as demand for goods grows after the pandemic. the situation is caused by a messy mix of global problems, including covid disruption, but here in the uk it is made worse by a shortage of hgv drivers to take the goods away, and so they build up. there are around 100,000 containers here. the port normally has around 60,000 to 70,000 on average. they aren t the only
of lorry drivers could cause supply issues ahead of christmas. the entertainer toy store chain says shops are well stocked at the moment, but it s concerned demand will outstrip supply. the shortage of hgv drivers is having a knock on effect on ports around the uk. felixstowe is the biggest. it has 50,000 containers waiting to be collected and ships are having to wait for up to 10 days to unload. the port has blamed several factors for the build up including the impact of the pandemic. 0ur transport correspondent caroline davies sent this report from felixstowe international shipping is a worldwide interconnected web and what we are seeing here in felixstow and beyond a when that web is disrupted. international trade is beginning to reawaken and as there is more demand for goods shipped over to the uk this system that gets them from the quayside to the shops is beginning to struggle. coming in but going out too slowly.
goods to the right place, the cost of shipping goods is also going up. the freight rates have gone up massively. two years ago you paid about $3000 for a 40 foot from shanghai to felixstowe. this month, it is between $19,000 and $20,000, so as you can see, they have gone up sixfold. this has a knock on effect in our shops, including on toys coming in before christmas. if i use this as an example, this item 12 months ago would have cost us 70p to ship from the far east to the uk. it is now going to cost £7 to ship. now, that puts it in perspective. we are selling theirs at present at £15. that isn t going to happen when the new freight rates come in. the government has reassured shoppers that they should shop normally this equipment and has said that while global capacity