A bed shop boss has blamed traffic gridlock and new EU border rules for the closure of his store after just two years of trading.

Steve Pickering opened Sussex Beds on St James Retail Park in Dover after identifying the site's "great potential".

But he believes lengthy queues around the town's port have contributed to its demise - and fears the impending introduction of new EU border regulations will only make the situation worse.

Delays of up to 15 hours are feared on the routes to the port when the Entry Exit System (EES) comes into force on October 6.

Highways bosses say they are committed to "keep Kent moving unimpeded", but Mr Pickering says disruption in the area has already taken its toll on his shop, which will shut for good on Saturday.

“Initially, the store performed well," the chief executive said.

"However, our trading was severely disrupted just weeks after opening due to significant traffic congestion in the town during Easter.

“Unfortunately, this congestion recurred during every holiday period over the past 18 months.

"With no signs of improvement and the anticipation of further disruptions from October due to additional port checks, we have made the difficult decision to close our Dover store."

The EES has been drawn up to register entry and exit data of non-EU nationals – which, following the Brexit vote, now includes the British – when they cross an external border of the continental bloc.

With this, manual passport stamps at Kent ports are to be replaced by biometric facial imaging and fingerprinting, which has to be done in the presence of an officer.

It is feared the time taken on tourists’ first entry to the EU could increase significantly under the new rules, sparking further queues in and around Dover.

Mr Pickering says he chose to open a store in the town due its “alignment with our key demographic”, but says he does not want to face further traffic disruption.

“We have truly enjoyed serving the wonderful people of Dover over the past two years,” he said.

"We are pleased that our dedicated Dover team will be relocated to our stores in Ashford and Canterbury, ensuring they remain part of our company family.”

In response to Mr Pickering’s concerns, highways bosses say they do “everything they can to support local communities through disruptive periods”.

They regularly introduce Dover TAP (Traffic Assessment Project) at peak times - a temporary traffic management system which sees port-bound lorries queue in the left lane of the A20 after the Roundhill Tunnel in a bid to prevent Dover becoming congested.

A spokesman for Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF) - a partnership of organisations including Kent County Council - said: “For the majority of the year the road network in the area in and around Dover operates relatively unimpeded by international traffic.

“However, we completely understand the huge impact on businesses and residents when there are long delays, and how this can affect people’s lives.

“The KMRF does everything it can to support local communities through disruptive periods, to protect communities and prevent congestion in the area.

“However, it is clear that as much as plans are made and mitigations put in place to avoid this build-up of traffic, the situation on the roads heading through Dover remains extremely fragile, and further disruption is likely as we head into the summer and beyond.

“Unexpected events, such as road traffic collisions, industrial action, or severe weather, can also impact plans to keep traffic moving through the county.

“Until the government finds and funds alternative solutions to the way this flow of traffic can be managed, Operation Brock and Dover TAP are the only tools available to try to stop traffic building up on the roads in and around Dover.

“It is in everyone’s interest that a solution is found to keep the UK’s trade flowing via this critical route, while ensuring Kent can keep moving unimpeded.”

Residents have also raised traffic concerns over plans for a new McDonald’s drive-thru opposite St James Retail Park.

Bosses at the fast-food chain want to build a 24-hour restaurant on the site of the former Dover Leisure Centre, but there are fears the development will leave drivers facing more delays.