to be concerned that there appears to be no relief effort for the lorry drivers around Dover?

[MyNameIsArthur]

just that really. I am worried that they are not being provided with hot food, drinks and toilet facilities while stuck on the motorway and parking areas near Dover. It must be awful for them

I gather on the news this morning that the army has been drafted in to help.

Better late than never....

however I can’t think of any previous, or potentials who wouldn’t have handled it better.
Really?
You think the Tory leadership candidates last year were all so appalling the every one of them would have been even worse then this absolute disgrace of a PM?

Sorry, wrong thread. Although still works quite well on this one.

Just read that the Sikh community made 800 meals in 2 hours. Incredible! ⭐️ 👏

I hope none of the lorries had livestock in them. Aren’t calves often transported to France to be slaughtered for veal?

@JacobReesMogadishu

I hope none of the lorries had livestock in them. Aren’t calves often transported to France to be slaughtered for veal?

Most live exports go from Ramsgate not Dover. I’m not sure what’s happening at Ramsgate at the moment though. Live exports are due to be banned from England and Wales once the EU rules for changing the protocols don’t have to be followed (not sure about NI and Scotland). We've often had people protesting the live exports here.

YANBU

The Sikh community have done an amazing job, I saw the curries in the paper

However, I can't help thinking that this needs a much bigger coordinated effort from high above, based on the several thousand lorry drivers who are stuck!

I'm wondering what will happen to the drivers who get positive test results. Will they have to self isolate in their vans for 10 days, in the UK? Even worse, what will happen to the few who might fall seriously ill? They could be in UK hospitals for weeks, far away from their families. This is all inhumane, those poor drivers are being used as pawns by Macron. No doubt if we had accepted the deal that was on offer, Macron would not have taken such a decision.

@Defenbaker they are going to be put up in a hotel if they test positive

Seems like the testing effort has run into problems, because the drivers are being told to leave the queue to get tests, but the ones at the head of the queue are stuck in gridlock in Dover.

Also, you have 72 hours to get to France after a negative test, but the queue is now 4 days long.

Logic suggests that someone (the army, with motorbikes?) should be taking tests to the front of the queue, rather than expecting drivers to leave the queue, organise a test and somehow get over to Calais within 72 hours.

It may be the French who caused the initial problem but our (lack of) response has certainly compounded it. And we will suffer when these drivers decide not to take jobs coming back to the UK in future.

What i am disgusted by is that us mere people can come up with solutions such as bluewater shopping centre carpark being used a truck stop, using festival portaloos and motorbike(army/police) delivering tests to the front of the queue of trucks.

So why are the bigwigs, the ones who are paid stupid amounts of money not able to think up these solutions?
Its not because they are incompetent, its because those in charge DO NOT CARE!

@Pandoraslastchance

On Christmas break, they probably all illegally fled London and don’t want to draw attention to it by coming back. What’s one more crisis on top of all the others after all?

Pandora
Yes, I agree with lots of others that this was unforeseen etc, it’s unprecedented, it’s not quite the same as Brexit traffic as it’s a total closure not just delays, it’s difficult to arrange the sanitary conditions food and drink blah blah blah. However, once this started on Sunday it painfully bloody obvious what was going to happen if lorries and vans kept on coming. The one thing the government could have done immediately on Sunday was to set up ‘roadblocks’ along major routes to divert port bound traffic to other areas along the route to hold them until France reopened the border and the lorries here already in Kent had moved off, that way drivers and families stuck in this could have been better helped and local roads wouldn’t be gridlocked (which is going to mean progress is snail’s pace) As it is vehicles have been arriving here constantly.

[quote Brighterthansunflowers]@Pandoraslastchance

On Christmas break, they probably all illegally fled London and don’t want to draw attention to it by coming back. What’s one more crisis on top of all the others after all?[/quote]
😂
Probably but they’ve left Hatt Mancock in London on his own with Jennie Harries to do today’s briefing.

@MedusasBadHairDay

I don't think this is the fault of the UK government - when they planned for possible problems due to Brexit, they could not have foreseen Brexit coinciding with a pandemic that would suddenly worsen 10 days before the final Brexit deadline

It's December, the pandemic has been affecting the UK since March with various countries opening and shutting borders throughout the year as cases rise and fall. Plus they knew the Winter would be more challenging (they even spoke about this in the earliest press conferences). I don't think our government can pretend this was totally unexpected.

This!!

Feel so sorry for them. Imagine being stuck in a lorry for days in December when it’s freezing cold. No access to a toilet or shower and the only reason you’re getting hot food is because some people are kind enough to donate some. On top of all that it’s Christmas and they probably won’t be home in time to spend it with their families. Poor, poor people.

@Pandoraslastchance
Suggesting using blue water as a truck stop is insane there’s not as much reachable truck parking as you think and all it would achieve is grid locking the surrounding roads

Their anger should be channeled(excuse the pun) towards the French authorities. Also their employes should be helping more .
This issue has been caused by the French and sorted out by the UK.
Imo, its nothing to do with covid, more to do with brexit and fishing.

Fantastic efforts displayed by the Sikh community! 👏👏👏👏👏

Macron! What a child! Trying to make himself look the big man!
There are lots of French drivers who now won't make it home for Christmas and who voted for this pillock. He will be about as popular as a dose of clap with his own people!

Totally political but - God willing - will backfire on him big time!

The one thing the government could have done immediately on Sunday was to set up ‘roadblocks’ along major routes to divert port bound traffic to other areas along the route to hold them until France reopened the border and the lorries here already in Kent had moved off

I too wondered why this hadn't been done.

Yet another example of the good people of Mumsnet pointing out the reasonably obvious which seems not to have occurred to those in government, who surely ought to be able to work out things like this.

If there were some event (as it might be a pop festival) which was simply full with no more room for another person to get in, they'd be able to put out an alert on all media saying "don't try to go there, you won't get in and you won't be able to get away either" -- I'm sure I remember this being done for some venue not so very long ago. Why couldn't they have done that for the ferries?

This bbc report details how different groups have tried to help.www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-kent-55421924

www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-kent-55421924