Freight News, Logistics, Road


Logistics UK says bollards to Operation Brock

[ July 17, 2026   //   ]

With the summer get away beginning in earnest this weekend, Logistics UK has reacted says it is disappointed that at the ongoing reliance on the Operation Brock traffic management scheme that forces lorries heading to Dover and the Channel Tunnel to queue on the M20.

It argues that the lack of a sustainable long-term solution is harming UK trade and diverting much needed funding from public coffers every time it is deployed.

Head of trade policy James Mills said: “Ten years after the Brexit vote, it is deeply frustrating to see public money being spent to deploy temporary cones on the coastbound carriageways our members use every day to export to continental customers. Every cone placed on the motorway costs the public money, funding that could be used to create a permanent solution to manage coastbound traffic at peak times.

“The Short Straits crossing remains the easiest and quickest way to move goods to Europe, but a decade after the country voted to leave the European bloc, we are no closer to a permanent solution to the entirely predictable queues which form during the summer getaways. In fact, the queues have continued, with the European Entry and Exit System (EES) having recently replaced passport stamping with biometric checks before the EU system is working reliably. This is deeply frustrating.”

“Against the backdrop of declining UK exports to the EU, it is more important than ever that government does everything possible to reduce friction on our key trading routes,” he continued. “The EU remains our biggest market for goods exports and it is critical that this trade is protected.”

Mills says that the delays occur throughout the year, but summer temperatures exacerbate a key issue for logisticians – the lack of hygiene and rest-facilities for professional drivers who are responsible for supporting the UK’s supply chain with many of the goods the country relies on:

He concludes: “Operation Brock is an inefficient and expensive workaround for an issue that our sector has been raising with government for years, with over £3 million of public money spent last year alone deploying the scheme. Our members have had enough of bollards – they deserve a proper solution.”

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