Kent County Council (KCC) is ensuring it continues to deliver essential services in those communities most affected by the traffic queues, as significant delays continue in the county this morning.
The summer getaway and resource issues with French border staff have resulted in serious delays on the approaches to the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel and across the county’s road network.
Working with HM Coastguard, KCC has been delivering water to hauliers stuck in Operation Brock on the M20.
KCC’s tried and tested business continuity plans were triggered earlier this week, ahead of the anticipated tourist and freight bottlenecks in East Kent associated with the start of the school summer holidays. These contingency arrangements prioritise critical services such as adult and children’s social care, education, public protection, infrastructure and waste disposal.
Business continuity contingencies rolled-out by County Council services operating in Dover, Folkestone and other communities vulnerable to the congestion at the ports include;
- Residential care service reviewing their staffing rotas to ensure a safe level of service is maintained at all times, whilst limiting staff travel
- Critical deliveries of food, medicines and other consumables and waste collection and disposal been all been appropriately reviewed and fine-tuned to ensure no disruption to services
- Stocks of food, medicines and consumables have been stock-checked to ensure their sustainability into next week
- Services operating in the community are prioritising their visits and work bases, and reallocating staff accordingly to reduce the need for travel
- Shift patterns may be altered to account for traffic delays between home and other care visits
- Rounds are undertaken on foot where necessary and appropriate
- KCC Highways and Emergency Planning personnel are working around the clock alongside our partners to minimise disruption and ensure safe welfare interventions for those caught up in the traffic queues
- KCC Community Wardens are active in those communities affected by the congestion, supporting local residents and Social Care colleagues, as well as supporting traffic management and enforcement where freight and other Port bound vehicles stray into local neighbourhoods; and
- All services operating over the weekend have established escalation routes should the congestion situation deteriorate further.
Leader of Kent County Council Roger Gough said “The flexibility and common sense being demonstrated time and again by KCC staff and our commissioned providers in communities around the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel is very much appreciated and I would like to thank them all for their hard work and dedication”.
To avoid leaving things to chance, Kent Resilience Forum partners continue to advise people driving in or through Kent to always be prepared by following simple steps including:
- CHECKING your route before travelling
- ALLOWING extra time to get to your destination, and
- PACKING your car with essentials, including food, something to drink and any medicines you need to take regularly, in case of delays
For where to go for the latest Kent traffic and travel news visit: Check before you travel – Kent County Council
For further information about Operation Brock go to: nationalhighways.co.uk/travel-updates/operation-brock