An antique shop boss has blamed new EU border rules for the closure of his store - just months after another trader quit for the same reason.

Robin Burkhardt runs The Old Curiosity Shop in Snargate Street, Dover, but says repeated delays mean customers already struggle to reach his business because of long queues blocking the roads.

He fears the situation will worsen when new Entry/Exit System (EES) checks come in on November 10 as there are concerns they could cause 14 to 15-hour delays.

Highways bosses say they will “minimise the impact of cross-Channel disruption”, but Mr Burkhardt says hold-ups in the area have already taken their toll on his shop, which will shut at the end of the year.

His decision follows the closure of Sussex Beds on the nearby St James Retail Park which closed in June amid concerns over increasing congestion.

“Dover will become a no-go zone and a lot of businesses are already suffering; they are hanging on for dear life," Mr Burkhardt said.

“It will get worse with EES and because we are in Snargate Street we are at the brunt of it.

“When someone on social media says there’s a problem at the port with the roads everyone avoids Dover like the plague.

“I can understand it because who wants to get tangled in traffic for two-and-a-half hours for a 15-minute drive?

“When the port catches a cold Dover gets the flu.”

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.

Government funds are being used to fill the town's 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.

Mr Burkhardt is yet to confirm an exact closure date for his store, which has been based in Snargate Street alongside the A20 for two-and-a-half years.

He had originally started his business as a market stall in the Co-Innovation Centre in the former Co-op site in Stembrook.

“We are going to get stuffed, and I can't afford to take the hit again,” Mr Burkhardt added.

“We've also got cost-of-living problems at the moment, and I don't think that's going to get any better.

“It is a perfect storm as far as I'm concerned. I just can't keep going.”

Roads to the port have been regularly gridlocked at times of peak demand such as summer and Easter holiday getaways.

But it can also happen when stormy weather delays the ferries or there are strikes in Calais.

The direct road to the Eastern Docks, the A20 and A2 Jubilee Way, are the first to seize up.

However on the worst occasions the port traffic creeps into arterial roads through the town, such as Folkestone Road, Maison Dieu Road and Barton Road, making all routes going in the direction of the port impassable.

In these situations many Dovorians, now so used to the problem, give up their cars until the roads are clear again, either walking or staying at home.

The Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF), a partnership of organisations including Kent County Council (KCC), says it is working with traders ahead of the introduction of EES.

Tactical lead Toby Howe said: “We are working with the information it has and the tools currently at its disposal to minimise the impact of cross-Channel disruption on our local communities as a priority. This will be the same for EES.

“The traffic management measures on the whole were effective throughout the summer. Despite almost a million passengers coming through Dover to catch a ferry to France, the town continued to run clear.

“We acknowledge that by the very topography, residents and businesses living and working along the main A20 stretch to the Port of Dover will experience the effects of excessive traffic levels up close, and we continue to work with them and keep them well informed of any emerging situations.

“Mitigations after feedback from our regular community meetings have included advanced warnings of busy times so individual business continuity plans can be stood up and permits to avoid road closures.

“It is not a perfect system and it is unlikely it ever will be, however, we will continue those conversations and evolve our approach, at all times balancing keeping people safe with allowing the efficient flow of local traffic.”

In a further statement, Dover District Council (DDC) says it “understands people’s concerns”.

“We continue to work hard to help local businesses, and it is always sad when a business closes,” a spokesman said.

“We continue to work hard with partner agencies, including KCC, the Department for Transport, National Highways, Kent Police and Port of Dover, and all partners in the KMRF, to ensure that the needs of our local communities are heard.

“DDC has repeatedly raised its concerns with the government about investing in Kent’s road network and improving the road infrastructure around Dover to help reduce the impact of cross-Channel traffic and freight and keep traffic moving.”