The transport secretary Chris Grayling has pledged that the government will not allow Kent to be gridlocked after Brexit.

He insisted that fears there will be regular disruption and congestion on the road network particularly around the port of Dover and Eurotunnel were misplaced.

The issue was raised during an edition of the BBC programme Question Time last night, that was broadcast from Dover.

He was challenged by a member of the audience who asked if the government was prepared to see the Garden of England become the lorry park of England.

Mr Grayling responded: "We will maintain a free-flowing border at Dover, we will not impose checks at the port, it is utterly unrealistic to do so. We don't check lorries now, we're not going to be checking lorries in the future.

“We are absolutely clear it cannot happen. We will not in any circumstances create a hard border in Dover That requires us to stop every lorry in the port. It is not possible to do that.”

Challenged on what would happen if tariffs were in place after Brexit, he said: “Goods flow through seamlessly everywhere else in the world.”

But he failed to convince all members of the audience, with one suggesting there would be 29 miles of queues on the motorway network after Brexit.

Fellow panellist Keir Starmer, Labour shadow Brexit secretary, said: “There are other lorries from outside the EU where checks take a lot longer. If you don't have a Customs Union there will be queues.”

He said the government had changed its tune as it had previously said the solution was Operation Stack and the use of the Manston Airport site to hold HGVs.

Mr Grayling denied that was the case, saying his comments had been taken out of context.

Other members of the audience said east Kent was already a lorry park and suffered congestion on the roads leading to Dover.

Another suggested the use of Manston Airport to hold lorries was impractical and would not work.