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'Situation worsens' at Liverpool Port
Page 6
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The port has come under renewed fire from drivers and operators who
say that delays are longer than ever. Chris Tindall reports.
DESPITE CLAIMS from Liverpool Port that it would slash turnaround times and upgrade its toilet facilities ('Liverpool Port promises to act'. CM 10 May), drivers and operators say the situation is worse than ever.
Subcontractor Steve Prescott says it is taking him longer than ever to get in and out of the port and he faces losing work because of the delays: "I'min there once or twice a day — this morning turnaround time was nearly two hours.There's not a lot of money in the job as it is; they are just making it harder and harder."
Dave Sutton, of McAndrews in Liverpool. says the problem has nothing to do with a preChristmas rush: "Three years ago there were the same amount of wagons but they were no delays like there are now. When you have a firm as big as that advertising it's making millions, should it not do something about it?"
Mark Johnson, who owns Johnsons (Burscough), says meetings between the Road Haulage Association, operators and the port have taken place with no success: -They haven't listened one bit... they don't accept there's a problem. There's not enough straddle carriers. They need eight and sometimes there's only four."
However,a spokesman for port owner Peel Ports denies there's a shortage of straddle carriers or drivers, and says a review of the toilet facilities is still under way. He adds: "Liverpool scrupulously maintains a record of the terminal landside performance. In the 18 weeks since 18 June, average truck turnaround times from the terminal gate and back to the terminal gate have been 49 minutes.
"Last week was one of the busiest of the year so far and at 80 minutes the average was the highest over those 18 weeks.
-However this situation was caused by a combination of the preChristmas rush being experienced by all ports at this time of the year, coinciding with the fact that our container stack operations are currently condensed into two thirds of the terminal area while work is undertaken... this work is expected to be completed early next week."