Operation Brock: Smooth freight transit to ports

Last week, hundreds of vehicles were disrupted by Operation Brock, which saw lorries queuing on one side of the M20 to get to Dover.

The Kent County Council claims that freight traffic is running smoothly across the county as it moves toward the Channel ports.

With the M20 “open for business,” the Kent Resilience Forum (KRF) stated that vehicles were no longer being kept on the road.

Kent’s highways were impacted by a lack of ferry capacity at Dover following the suspension of P&O Ferries services.

The lowest level of control that allows trucks to go freely via the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel without being held up on the M20, Kent County Council and KRF said in a statement: “With light volumes of freight presently heading over the Channel, Operation Brock has been reduced back to free-flow.”

The usage of Operation Brock will be reviewed on a regular basis, according to Nical Bell from National Highways.

The Kent ports have been experiencing backlogs recently due to a variety of issues.

Dover became congested due to Operation Brock, which was prompted by bad weather, Easter vacations, and the suspension of P&O Ferries lines.

Another IT issue occurred at the main port in London following Brexit.

A “perfect storm” has formed around Dover, according to the Kent Resilience Forum, resulting in the greatest traffic disruptions since 2020.

Heavy truck traffic necessitated the implementation of the Dover Traffic Access Protocol (TAP) network that delays port-bound lorries outside the town on the A20.

According to the group that administers emergency preparation for the county, Operation Brock ordinarily has the capacity to retain roughly 2,000 lorries, but it has been holding up to 4,000.