Questions Over Newhaven's Readiness For Post-Brexit Lorries

One of the political groups leading Lewes District Council is questioning how ready the Port of Newhaven is to accommodate extra goods vehicles, if drivers divert to Sussex due to problems at Dover.

But Sussex's multi-agency group responsible for co-ordinating responses to major incidents believes Department for Transport advice, saying the situation is unlikely.

The controversy began when Lewes's Liberal Democrats were told by Conservative-run East Sussex County Council that Newhaven has sufficient capacity to avoid disruption, should there be no deal at the end of the Brexit withdrawal period, starting 1 January 2021.

Cllr James MacCleary, the LibDems' parliamentary spokesperson for Lewes, said:

"The preparations made by Kent County Council have been all over the news in the last week.

"If we get a No Deal, all the current methods of working will vanish on 1st January and ports will have to deal with tariffs which are taxes on goods, being brought into or leaving the country.

"All these changes mean that the seamless way that ports and cross-channel transport work is coming to an end, but there seems to be no acknowledgement from either central Government, by Highways or by East Sussex County Council that there are any changes needed at Newhaven.

"This means a huge increase in paperwork and checks for goods and big delays in transit times.

"Things are never going to be the same again, despite Government promises of frictionless trade and 'the same benefits as before.

"[But] the Government and ESCC seem blissfully unaware that major retailers such as Tesco are talking about rerouting transport routes away from Dover to other cross-channel routes.

"Newhaven-Dieppe is one of those routes.

"It's also likely that if Dover becomes log-jammed, then hauliers will reroute trucks to other channel ports.

"Local communities ... certainly don't deserve lines of trucks stacked back along the A26 because of complacency by East Sussex County Council."

Responding, a Sussex Resilience Forum spokesperson said:

"The Department for Transport's assessment is that it does not expect significant extra lorry traffic in Sussex and this has guided the planning the Sussex Resilience Forum is doing. 

"The operators of Newhaven port are in regular contact with hauliers to remind them that HGVs can only board with a valid ticket, so there would be no advantage for lorry drivers to move from Dover (or another port) to Newhaven unless they have a booking.

"Most traffic through the port consists of regular freight customers who will be familiar with its operation and with the new customs requirements that come into force from 1 January.

"The UK government has also purchased additional ferry capacity at Newhaven so that there can be extra daily sailings if required. 

"Although the risk of traffic congestion in Sussex is considered low, SRF partners continue to monitor the situation and are maintaining plans to ensure traffic on Sussex roads will continue to move freely.

"Our planning will respond to any change in government advice."