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Channel Tunnel freight block clogs Kent roads
Page 5
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II Restrictions on rail freight through he Channel Tunnel due to disruption 'rem asylum seekers have forced )0,000 more trucks onto British and European roads.
Rail-freight firm EWS predicts that /IGV traffic will continue to Increase now that French rail operator StiCF has hatted rail-freight services to the UK after the French authorities withdrew security at the Frethun depot. There is currently no indication when the service will be restored.
The government is pledged to reduce congestion by shifting freight from roads to rail, hut these plans are being hampered by the continuing disruption to rail services.
Eurotunnel reports that the number of trucks using its services rose 3% in the first quarter to 305,143, but Kent County Council estimates that there are now an extra 350 HGVs a day on Kent roads as operators struggle to find alternative routes.
EWS has called for urgent action from the government to restore railfreight services.
"Policing by the French authorities has been inconsistent, a record number of asylum seekers have arrived Illegally in Britain and now services have been suspended again," says EWS chief operating officer Allen Johnson "EWS expects the British government to demand urgent action from the French government to fully restore international rail freight services."
A Home Office spokesperson says the government Is keen to see rail freight with the Continent continue and it is determined to prevent illegal entry into the UK. The Home Office is working at a governmental level with the French authorities and the SNCF to achieve this.