The ground breaking for a post-Brexit customs clearance centre has taken place.

The new Inland Border Facility is being built at the White Cliffs Business Park in Whifield, Dover.

The HMRC centre is expected to see more than £80 million investment secured and attract 400 jobs. It will handle checks on lorries coming into Dover from across the English Channel.

The Government first identified the site between the B&Q and the Dover District Leisure Centre in October 2020 for port health as well as border control checks.

Following consultation with the community, the Government decided on two locations within the White Cliffs Business Park, the other for a port health centre at Bastion Point.

To date, in excess of £100 million has been committed to the border control programme, which is expected to create a total 650 jobs through the two centres.

MP Natalie Elphicke, Dover District Council leader Cllr Trevor Bartlett, and Kent County Council leader Roger Gough pressed the Government to bring in the facilities.

Mrs Elphicke, Dover constituency MP, attended the ground breaking ceremony.

She said: “It’s been a hard-fought campaign to secure more than £100 million of investment and hundreds of local jobs at the border facilities for Dover.

"After such an extensive consultation and planning process, at over 18 months, it is good news to have got a spade in the ground at the new HMRC facility.

“At the ground-breaking I met local people who were already working on site.

"I learned that the vast majority of workers and materials being supplied to the site are based in Kent.

"That is good news for the Kent economy and a shot in the arm for our Dover economy too."

The contractors for the work are Galliford-Try, based in Leicester.

In October 2020, exactly 12 months after the site was first announced, plans were unveiled to reduce the impact on residents in nearby Guston and to allow for heritage and environmental concerns.

The customs clearance site was meant to have 1,200 lorry bays but this was reduced to 96 after locals' concerns.

Mrs Elphicke said; "This new facility is now right-sized for our community, and a welcome boost to our economy too.”

Since the UK left the European Union, on January 31, 2020, more customs and transit checks are needed for ports like Dover.

Where there is no space directly at seaports for this the Government has provided new inland centres for these checks.

Bastion Point will be used by Dover Port Health Authority for food, plant and animal goods inspections, ensuring items coming into the country meet stringent UK requirements.