A councillor is demanding that more is done to help residents in Dover against the disruption of backed-up lorries.

It comes as the town's lorry queuing system, know as TAP (Traffic Access Protocol), has been used 63 times over the last 10 months - and even trended on Twitter this weekend.

The scheme on the A20 at Aycliffe is brought in when there is a high volume of lorries waiting to cross the Channel.

It was first introduced in 2015 as a way of preventing port bound traffic disrupting the local road network.

While Dover TAP is on, a 40mph speed restriction, which applies to all vehicles approaching Dover via the A20, is introduced.

Lorry drivers are asked to remain in the left lane of the A20, from the Roundhill Tunnel, and queue until they reach the port.

The right hand lane is then left clear for local traffic to enter the town without lengthy delays.

But the scheme doesn't always works as designed causing congestion for locals, including on the other side of the Port.

Councillor Nigel Collor, who represents the Whitfield ward, says the tailbacks - blamed frequently on Brexit - are making it "extremely difficult" for residents to access nearby retail facilities.

He wants a "solution" to be found ahead of further increased border checks expected later this year.

He has asked the leader of Dover District Council, Councillor Trevor Bartlett, to provide answers during a full council meeting which will take place at 6pm on Wednesday.

His question is: “The A2 was heavily congested for many hours making it extremely difficult for our residents living to the east of the road to gain access to retail facilities in the town.

"Dover TAP was also in place on the A20 continually for nearly 33 hours.

"Of the 63 times that Dover TAP has been put in place since March on 17 of these occasions the trigger point to consider bringing in the next stage has been reached.

"Will the leader advise what steps this council is taking to keep the pressure up on finding a solution once and for all, as well as what steps were taken after the TAP trigger points were reached as well as advising the next steps after TAP is full?”

The trigger point is at the Courtwood junction, by the Alkham Valley viaduct, he says.

The born and bred Dovorian told KentOnline said: "I will welcome any information from Cllr Bartlett on what we are going to do.

"We are not the highway authority but we have a duty to our residents.

"Just recently TAP has been on nearly everyday. I get emails saying, 'It's on again today, why?'

"I had one email from a resident in Whitfield who was stuck on Jubilee Way for one-hour-and-20 minutes back in December. He was going to St James' to do some shopping.

"It's a concern for local people and it deters people from elsewhere; Capel, Whitfield and Deal coming in to Dover to shop.

"It is detrimental to our businesses."

This weekend, The Mirror reported that the queues had become so extensive they could be seen on Google Maps satellite images.

Meanwhile, a lorry driver told The Independent he been snarled-up in queues of up to 15km (9 miles) since full customs controls were implemented at the start of this month.

The haulier said they were subjected to checks of 15 to 20 minutes per vehicle needed to pass the new Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) system.

The Port of Dover, Port of Dover Police and Kent Police have been approached for comments.