The money would be used to introduce ‘Operation Brock’ – a set of four measures designed to replace the older Operation Stack. Once capacity around Dover is reached, lorry queues are allowed to form on the coastbound carriageway, with Manston airfield and the M26 used if necessary to hold large vehicles.

The £20M for Operation Brock is a small part of a £344M fund announced to help get new border and customs operations ready for a possible no deal exit, including the recruitment of 500 extra border force officials. Contingency planning to prepare for the UK’s departure from the EU now stands at £2.1Bn.

But the Freight Transport Association says the investment in no deal planning “falls well short” of what is required to ensure organisations can continue to operate smoothly.

“The allowances announced may enable the Government to say they have helped business, but the reality once again leaves logistics operators carrying the burden of adapting to and adopting new operating procedures at the last minute,” said the group’s deputy chief executive James Hookham.

Road Haulage Association chief executive Richard Burnett said the Government still faces a huge challenge to prepare business in time for a no deal Brexit. “What we badly need is detail. We need a complete, practical how to guide to ensure traders know what they have to do to get across the borders after Brexit.”

Port of Dover chief executive Doug Bannister said: “Any investment to help keep cross Channel traffic flowing is welcome. Keeping the traffic moving freely across borders will mean balancing any requirements for declarations around the realities of just in time logistics and flexible routing of lorries.”

(Photograph: Highways England)