National Highways and the Kent Resilience Forum (KRF) have confirmed Operation Brock will be stopped this weekend.

The contraflow on the M20 will be deactivated as the half-term and Platinum Jubilee breaks come to a close.

The contraflow has been in place on the 13-mile section of the M20 between junctions 8 (for Maidstone) and 9 (at Ashford) since March, due to the risk of potential traffic disruption.

Brock will be removed overnight Sunday, with the coast-bound M20 re-opened to two lanes at 50mph on Monday.

The London-bound M20 will also continue to operate with two lanes at a 50mph-speed limit.

The moveable barrier will remain in place to allow National Highways to resume the improvement works in place prior to the contraflow being needed, with lane three closed on the coast-bound to protect the workforce carrying out the work in the central reservation.

The work to remove the contraflow will be completed under a full closure of the M20 on the coast-bound from junctions 7 to 9 on Sunday night.

Nicola Bell, National Highways regional director, said: “Recently, the roads in Kent have been very busy for a number of reasons, and the decision to deploy Operation Brock and the coast-bound contraflow was the right one.

"We are grateful for people’s patience whilst Operation Brock was deployed; it has enabled us to keep Kent moving.

"The contraflow will be removed overnight on Sunday, but the barrier will remain on the London-bound M20 ready for use in case it is needed again in the coming weeks.”

Clearly signed diversion routes will be in place on the A20 to help drivers reach their destination.

Simon Jones, KRF strategic lead, said: “KRF partners promised our residents, businesses and hauliers we would keep the use of Brock under continual review and remove it as soon as it was practical to do so.

"With the half-term and Jubilee holidays coming to an end we are able to safely deliver on our pledge.

“Our county is a major gateway to Europe and cross-Channel traffic levels have returned to pre-pandemic levels.

"We will continue to work together and use traffic management, our current best available option, to do everything we can to keeping Kent moving, and open for business, and communities protected from the worst impacts of disruption."

The diversion route is as follows:

Coast-bound traffic will follow the fully-signed diversion routes and exit junction 7 and take the A249 northbound to the M2 Junction 5 and continue on the M2 and A2 to Dover.

Traffic wanting to Eurotunnel will need to take the A20 west-bound until it joins the M20 at junction 13. Traffic will then leave the M20 at junction 11 for Eurotunnel.

More information about Operation Brock is available here.