At 11 pm Thursday, Brexit gets real.
By Bloomberg News
31 Dec 2020 09:18
An empty terminal at the Port of Dover in Dover, UK, on Wednesday, December 23, 2020. Image: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
On the day the UK makes its final break with the European Union, the ports are clear of truck backups, goods are moving smoothly and grocery-store shelves are well stocked.
Even so, UK businesses that rely on some 1.2 billion pounds ($1.6 billion) of products crossing the border each day are taking no chances. At 11 pm Thursday, Brexit gets real.
Companies were already stockpiling goods and exploring alternatives to the crowded truck-ferry route across the English Channel when France unexpectedly closed its border for two days last week, citing a fast-moving outbreak of Covid-19 in the UK The disruptions that ensued, producing miles-long backups at the Port of Dover, served as a warning shot for potential chaos as the Brexit transition period ends.
Gridlock at UK ports could cancel Christmas for retailers erienewsnow.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from erienewsnow.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Ports miss out on cash for new border controls
£200m pot to fund border infrastructure heavily oversubscribed, meaning ports will not get enough money to build vital controls
15 December 2020 • 6:12pm
Port operators will get little or no cash from a government fund to build new border control facilities.
Many have been told their applications for funds from a £200m pot to pay for new infrastructure to handle customs requirements after the Brexit transition period ends have been unsuccessful.
Others will receive far less than requested for the new facilities such as loading bays and inspections facilities so goods coming into the UK can be inspected. They need to be in place by the end of June.
It s the perfect storm : Builders run short of paint, screws, hinges, bolts and timber as Covid restrictions and Brexit stockpiling jams UK ports It s mainly ironmongery that comes in from China that we can t hold of
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Builders are running short of supplies after a spike in imports due to the Covid-19 pandemic and fears of a no-deal Brexit have led to bottlenecks at UK ports.