Britain’s biggest port stopped all traffic heading to Europe and food supplies into the nation face major disruption after the discovery of a new variant of the Covid-19 virus prompted its nearest neighbors to limit travel links with the U.K.
The crisis prompted Boris Johnson to convene a meeting of the government’s emergency committee on Monday in a bid to keep goods flowing. The concern is focused on links with France, which suspended inbound travel from the U.K., including freight, for 48 hours starting midnight Sunday.
And with Britain yet to agree on its future trade relationship with the European Union before the Dec. 31 deadline, industry groups sounded the alarm roads have already been been clogged on both sides of the Channel for days. One freight transport group urged shoppers to avoid panic buying, while the Food and Drink Federation warned of the potential for serious disruption to fresh food supplies over the Christmas holidays.
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to chair a meeting of the government s emergency committee later Monday after France closed its borders to arrivals from the U.K. to stem the spread of a new strain of the coronavirus circulating in London and the southeast of England.
The meeting of the COBRA civil contingencies committee comes amid warnings of significant disruption around the ports in the English Channel, with tailbacks going back miles into Kent, the county in southeastern England.
Supermarket shoppers have reported seeing queues and empty shelves similar to those from the start of the UK’s first coronavirus lockdown.
The busy conditions come despite repeated calls not to panic-buy after a new variant of coronavirus in the south-east of England caused France to stop freight travelling from the UK.
Kevin Edger said he had to go to three supermarkets for his shopping in Bridgend, Wales, on Monday after being met with empty shelves in Sainsbury’s – he also queued for almost an hour.
Just popped to @sainsburys and guess what, people have been panic buying, again. Selfish. Literally no veg or fruit. pic.twitter.com/tEj5UdNngl
Warnings over panic buying amid fears supermarkets will run out We need a pragmatic solution that gets drivers across the border and into the UK by whatever route
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There is “no need” to panic-buy as a result of France’s ban on freight lorries from the UK, the chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation has said.