Kent could be gripped by traffic congestion and disruption around the channel ports for months at a time if there is no Brexit deal agreed, according to a Labour county councillor.

Thanet county councillor Karen Constantine said the implementation of the Dover Tap this week, which saw queues of lorries waiting hours to get to the port, is a sign of what's to come.

She said: “Let's hope that it is a one-off situation but I fear we are going to see this for several months at a time. It is not just a case of our lorries getting across the Dover Straits it is also coming from the other side. We are already seeing predictions of food shortages and price rises; don't let us forget Boris Johnson said this going to be the easiest deal in history.”

Cllr Constantine, was speaking on the latest edition of the ‘Paul On Politics’ show on KMTV.

Both sides on the negotiations are continuing to hold talks today but there is a growing expectation that there is unlikely to be a deal agreed.

Meanwhile the Conservative county councillor and deputy leader of Ashford Council Paul Bartlett said a deal was vital for Kent.

He said: “The county council has done just about everything that is possible to mitigate the impact on Kent residents and businesses. It has been said that there will be no deal but that cannot be allowed to continue forever.

"I am very confident that a deal can be struck. It is very important that we continue to trade. We produce only 60% of our own foodstuffs and if we cannot import stuff it is going to be detrimental to the whole UK economy and to the European economy too. So I am confident there will be a resolution to this.”

Ashford MP Damian Green said it was worth persevering with talks. He told the Andrew Marr show: "It is hugely in Britain's interest and the EU interests for there to be a deal so although it is is long and painful and difficult it is worth it to keep talking'.

Dover Tap was implemented for several days last week as unexpected congestion developed - thought to have been caused by hauliers trying to beat the Christmas rush.

This morning on BBC Politics South East, MP for Folkestone and Hythe Damian Collins said: "I don't think anyone who voted for Brexit voted for a position that we have to abide by all the EU's rules on trade even though we're not members."

He said the speed of processing at the Channel Tunnel, as a result of Brexit preparations, is better than it's been before and he claimed Kent's roads are best prepared than they ever have been before.

Medway Labour councillor Naushabah Khan, also interviewed on the show, said Damian "paints a rosy picture" of what is to come.

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