Jacob Rees-Mogg has a habit of waving away dark Brexit events – but he can’t ignore what’s happening in Dover

Logistics bosses are warning of ‘complete gridlock’ – while long delays and bad conditions are causing some hauliers to consider quitting. Adam Forrest takes a closer look

Lorries queue near the Port of Dover in Kent (PA)

Jacob Rees-Mogg wants us to look on the bright side of Brexit. The new minister for Brexit “opportunities” has a habit of waving away dark realities.

The senior Conservative figure claims there is little evidence that British trade had been hit by our exit from the EU, and blames the Covid-19 crisis for supply chain disruption.

Perhaps Rees-Mogg should take a trip down to Dover. It may become clear why the value of UK exports of goods to the EU fell £20bn last year. It may become understandable why seven in 10 UK exporting firms say Brexit has been bad for business.

The red tape woes inflict by the withdrawal from the EU continue to cause long hold-ups for lorry drivers in and around the port town, as both businesses and border officials struggle to adjust to the full customs controls imposed at the start of January.

Logistics chiefs and local politicians in Kent have warned that traffic chaos will get much worse when yet more Brexit-related checks come into force this year – warning that the area around Dover faces “complete gridlock”.

The hauliers who keep our goods moving are pessimistic that things will get better. Checks take time, they say. And there are more exhaustive checks coming in July, where agri-food products will receive far more rigorous inspection.

Desperate lorry drivers caught in four-hour queues near Dover have been forced to “s*** in the bushes” and throw bottles of urine out of the window, The Independent has been told.

The turmoil at ports on both sides of the Channel means drivers are experiencing four or five hours of waiting time on top of gruelling 10-hour shifts – putting both road safety and their mental health at risk.

Michael Thompson, a haulier from Lancashire, told The Independent earlier this week that long delays and lack of decent facilities have forced him to consider handing in his notice.

The 62-year-old said: “You can be sat there for five, six hours, you just think, ‘I don’t need this, I don’t want to do it any more’ … I have seen a lot of drivers whose mental health is suffering. They are fed up with it now.”

Another haulier said some in the industry were turning to drink and drugs to numb the pain.

Edwin Atema, from the Dutch FNV union, said the hold-ups with full customs controls were only the “latest problem at their table”.

The union official told The Independent there was little chance of encouraging more drivers from EU countries to work in Britain. “The infrastructure, the lack of parking, the lack of toilets, the respect the drivers get in the UK is all bad.”

The Road Haulage Association (RHA) have made clear there is still a shortage of 80,000 HGV delivery drivers – despite a major push to get more Britons into the profession.

Although there were signs of pay increases and more trainees coming through the testing system towards the end of 2021, logistics chiefs point to a lack of roadside facilities as a key reason the industry still struggles to recruit enough young people.

The RHA’s Rod McKenzie is hoping the government will get on with its promise to build new parking sites and facilities. Especially near Dover. “There’s a real urgency about this problem – it’s not something that can be ignored much longer.”

Boris Johnson and his cabinet may feel they have bigger concerns than port delays and the risk of angry lorry drivers leaving the profession.

But if they want to avoid another major bout of supply chain chaos – just as the cost of living soars – ministers may wish to start paying closer attention to what’s going on in Kent.