An Operation Stack summit has been held in Parliament in a bid to find solutions to the havoc created in Kent when thousands of lorries are stranded by problems on cross Channel ferries or the Channel Tunnel is closed.

The summit was hosted by Dover and Deal MP Charlie Elphicke and was also attended by Ashford MP Damian Green together with representatives from the Dover Port, the Channel Tunnel, local authorities, Kent County Council, the ferry industry, other Kent MPs, the freight and haulage industries as well as Kent Police - all keen to make their cases heard.

The meeting was organised after traffic across Kent was gridlocked when Operation Stack was implemented for five days following a fire in the Channel Tunnel on Saturday, January 21.

Queuing lorries on sections of the M20 motorway created traffic mayhem across the county and renewed demands for something to be done when freight transport can’t use either the tunnel or ferries.

Ashford MP Damian Green said: “It [the summit] was quite useful, we thrashed through the issues.

“The consensus was that we are not going to solve it in one big bang or by building a 2,500 space lorry park in Kent because of the opposition that would create.

“We agreed that there needed to be a number of small truck stops around the place."

“A working party has been set up, that is chaired by the police, to look at the immediate practical measures.

“The next stage will be their first meeting where they can start sharing ideas and look at how we can fix this long term.

“It’s a national issue, not just a Kent one because it is the main trade route into this country so having it closed even just for a few days a year is not good.”

Full story in this week's Kentish Express.