Cars could be forced to queue in fields in order to avoid chaos on Kent’s roads when new EU border checks come in at the Port of Dover, according to reports.

The European Entry/Exit System (EES) is set to start in November and Ashford Borough Council has previously raised fears of 15-hour delays.

Today, The Times is reporting that sites are being lined up to “stack” cars bound for Dover, to avert a repeat of scenes of nightmare gridlock on the A20 and M20 seen in previous years.

These are said to include areas previously earmarked during contingency planning for a “no-deal” Brexit. Manston Airport was one such site.

It is understood that the Channel Tunnel terminal in Folkestone will be able to cope better with the new biometric checks as it has more space.

At Dover, government funds are being used to fill Granville Dock to create a processing area the size of five football pitches with EES kiosks. However, that will not be ready until Easter next year at the earliest.

The Times says ministers are understood to be in the process of signing agreements with landowners in Kent so sites can be opened quickly in the event of delays at the port.

A source told the newspaper: "These are sites that can 'stand up, stand down' at speed. They are even looking at some fields that could have matting on them."

The first big test of the new system is set to be the Easter getaway.

Seema Malhotra, the minister for migration and citizenship, told The Times: “We are keeping off-road sites under review [so] that, should they need to be used, we have a contingency plan for that.

“We continue to work with the councils, the European Union and our French counterparts to make sure we are as prepared as possible so we minimise the risk of long queues, particularly at peak travel times.”

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.

The EU says it will “replace the current system of manual stamping of passports, which is time-consuming, and does not provide reliable data on border crossings and does not allow a systematic detection for over-stayers”.

The new system requires the gathering of biometric data – fingerprints scanned, photographs taken – in the presence of an officer when crossing the border. A process which may run smoothly at airports, but is ill-suited to Kent’s cross-Channel ports where travellers are moving in vehicles and would have to exit them on foot to provide their details.

KentOnline reported last week how the government is providing £10 million of funding to help the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel and Eurostar prepare for EES.