UK companies exporting goods to the EU will be able to cross the channel without the need for additional customs checks under a no-deal Brexit - but only for nine months, the European Commission has announced.

The Commission has released details of its own contingency plans should Britain leave the EU without an agreement, a day after the UK government released its own proposals.

They included putting 3,500 military personnel on stand-by, possibly in Kent.

EU officials say the existing arrangements which allow frictionless trade between the UK and EU and no customs checks will continue to apply for a limited period.

It means haulage companies will have more time to apply for special permits.

Road Haulage Association chief executive Richard Burnett said: “This is welcome news as it will reduce the need for ECMT permits in 2019.

"However, the proposal is conditional on the UK reciprocating.

“This is a logical and practical proposal by the Commission.

"However, the proposal contains several restrictions. It is time limited and the Commission has said it retains the right to cancel at any time.”

The commission has also placed a condition on the proposal, saying it is dependent on the UK conferring equivalent rights to EU road haulage operators and subject to fair competition conditions.

It warns that its 14 measures would not resolve all the issues that a no-deal Brexit might lead to.

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"These measures will not - and cannot - mitigate the overall impact of a 'no-deal' scenario," it said in a statement.

It comes as the chief of one of the leading logistics companies that operates from the port of Dover warned leaving the EU without a deal would lead to ‘Armageddon.’

John James, the chairman of Star Cargo Ltd, said: “Having a no deal Brexit on March 29th would be Armageddon. It is not Project Fear, it is reality and that frightens all of us.”

In other plans, commission officials say the UK residents living in the EU would be considered as ‘legal residents’ after March 29.

The commission said it wanted EU states “to take a generous approach to the rights of UK citizens in the EU, provided that this approach is reciprocated by the UK." It said countries should adopt a "pragmatic approach to granting temporary residence status."

The Commission urged the European Parliament and the European Council to "adopt the proposals as a matter of urgency."

With less than 100 days to go before the UK leaves the EU there are growing concerns that the political stalemate over the terms of departure could lead to the country crashing out under a "no-deal" Brexit.