Kent MPs say the government has been left in no doubt that action is needed quickly to find a better alternative to Operation Stack after a meeting with ministers today.

A seven-strong delegation of the county’s MPs met with the transport secretary of state Patrick McLoughlin and two other ministers to renew their calls for the government to intervene.

The meeting comes as travellers using the Channel Tunnel faced further disruption after the death of a migrant at the Calais end of the tunnel.

Dover MP Charlie Elphicke, Folkestone and Hythe MP Damian Collins, North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale and Ashford MP Damian Green were among the delegation.

Ashford MP Damian Green said the presence of three ministers was an indication the government was taking the problems seriously.

“That in itself is an encouraging sign that the department is taking it much more seriously. We discussed the issue of more lorry parks and what could be done this summer in case there is further disruption. One issue is that we need to alert drivers about whether Operation Stack is in place before they get to Kent.”

Among other suggestions discussed was the possibility of holding HGVs at service stations outside Kent to help limit the numbers parked on the M20.

“At the first sign of trouble, we revert to Stack and it is increasingly clear that it is no longer viable,” said Mr Green.

MPs also discussed the development in the longer term of ferry routes to other ports such as Dunkirk for freight traffic.

“The reliance on Calais as the only major way of getting freight goods into France is unsustainable,” said Mr Green.

In a sign that the repercussions of Operation Stack are becoming more widely felt in Kent, the delegation of MPs included Dartford MP Gareth Johnson and Rochester and Strood MP Kelly Tolhurst.

The government is expected to respond within weeks to a report it commissioned earlier this year on the problems caused by Operation Stack.