FRESH calls for a lorry park to be built in the county have been made after the chaos this week along the M20 caused by a wildcat strike at the French port of Calais. Kent police implemented Operation Stack along part of the M20 to cope with the build up of lorry traffic in the approach to Dover.

Ashford MP Damian Green said it was unacceptable for sections of the motorway to be closed off and the chaos had reinforced the case for a lorry park. He said: "For local people it is not acceptable and for people trying to do business in Kent it is not acceptable. There has to be a better solution than one which involves closing off sections of the motorway. There is no other motorway in the country which is closed when this kind of thing happens."

He denied that a park would be a costly way of avoiding the closure of the M20."What we are talking about is basically a large tarmaced area. I don't suppose there are people who want to have such a large area left empty for the few times a year it might be needed, but nonetheless there does seem to be a need for some kind of facility."

The M20 coastbound, between junctions 11 and 12, was closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, as truckers were forced to use the motorway as a lorry park. At one point up to 600 lorries were held up in the queue approaching Dover and waited to cross the Channel.

Kent County Council asked the Government shortly before the general election to help fund a park and a possible site was identified close to junction ten of the M20.

However, KCC has yet to have had a reply from ministers - a fact described as deplorable by Mr Green.