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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| M20 gridlock due to Calais strike | M20 gridlock due to Calais strike |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Hundreds of lorry drivers are stranded in Kent after industrial action in France closed the Port of Dover. | Hundreds of lorry drivers are stranded in Kent after industrial action in France closed the Port of Dover. |
| No ferries are sailing between Dover and Calais after a strike by workers led to the French port's closure. | No ferries are sailing between Dover and Calais after a strike by workers led to the French port's closure. |
| Part of the coast-bound carriageway of the M20, leading to the Kent port, has been closed because of the dispute. | Part of the coast-bound carriageway of the M20, leading to the Kent port, has been closed because of the dispute. |
| Operation Stack was put in place on Tuesday afternoon, allowing lorries to park on the M20, which is currently closed between junctions eight and 12. | Operation Stack was put in place on Tuesday afternoon, allowing lorries to park on the M20, which is currently closed between junctions eight and 12. |
| Police have provided food, water and toilet facilities for the drivers, many of whom were stranded overnight. | Police have provided food, water and toilet facilities for the drivers, many of whom were stranded overnight. |
| '12-hour backlog' | '12-hour backlog' |
| Insp Roy Kingston said some lorry drivers had been able to leave Dover via a limited service to Dunkirk. | Insp Roy Kingston said some lorry drivers had been able to leave Dover via a limited service to Dunkirk. |
| "But a large number have got freight booked through the Calais port... and they're not going anywhere. | "But a large number have got freight booked through the Calais port... and they're not going anywhere. |
| "It is a situation that is outside of our control," he said. | "It is a situation that is outside of our control," he said. |
| He told BBC Radio Kent that no time had been given for the strike to end. | He told BBC Radio Kent that no time had been given for the strike to end. |
| Keith Southey, of Dover Harbour Board, said there were more than 1,000 lorries stuck on the M20, which could take up to 12 hours to clear once the strike was over. | Keith Southey, of Dover Harbour Board, said there were more than 1,000 lorries stuck on the M20, which could take up to 12 hours to clear once the strike was over. |
| Worker sacked | Worker sacked |
| He said the situation had been made worse because of the increased amount of freight traffic leading up to Christmas. | He said the situation had been made worse because of the increased amount of freight traffic leading up to Christmas. |
| Other motorists using the M20 coast-bound are being diverted at junction eight onto the A20 through Lenham. | |
| However, some have told the BBC that they have seen foreign lorry drivers trying to beat the traffic queues on the M20 by following the diversions, snarling up the smaller road. | However, some have told the BBC that they have seen foreign lorry drivers trying to beat the traffic queues on the M20 by following the diversions, snarling up the smaller road. |
| The port of Calais, which has been closed since Tuesday afternoon, is being blockaded by members of the Calais Chamber of Commerce, who are striking over the dismissal of a cleaner. | The port of Calais, which has been closed since Tuesday afternoon, is being blockaded by members of the Calais Chamber of Commerce, who are striking over the dismissal of a cleaner. |