The government says it will meet the costs of Operation Stack following a bill for the chaos presented by police commissioner Ann Barnes.

Mrs Barnes said it should not be for Kent Police to pay for what amounted to a national crisis and she would be holding the government to its promise to reimburse the full costs of managing Operation Stack.

The force has recently said it has asked for help from other constabularies in the south east to help manage the disruption caused by Operation Stack.

Mrs Barnes said: “As Kent’s crime commissioner, it is my duty to make sure the Chief Constable has sufficient resources to police the whole of Kent. Operation Stack has been a very significant drain on those resources so far.”

She added: “If there is further disruption and as the Department for Transport has decided Operation Stack is used in tandem with the former Manston Airport site, this will inevitably require significant additional resources that will have to be paid for.”

While she was “ pleased and extremely relieved” by the government’s pledge to meet reasonable costs” she was determined to ensure it kept its word.

It comes as the owners of Manston - renamed Stone Hill Park - said the costs of operating the site as a short-term lorry park could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Spokesman Ray Mallon said it would be difficult to predict what the costs were as there could be irregular use of the site. Even the initial costs of staffing and contractors, along with equipment such as toilets and shower blocks,could be considerable.

However, the costs will be seen as relatively modest compared to the huge six-figure losses that businesses have complained has been lost because of Operation Stack.

Mrs Barnes said: “When the crisis ends I will be submitting an application for payment.”