More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Hotel bills that could run into thousands of pounds are having to be paid to accommodate traffic officers brought in to help with managing Operation Brock.
Highways England has deployed 80 officers from outside Kent to assist but is having to pay for them to stay in nearby hotels so they can get to incidents and offer back-up support quickly.
Transport minister Jesse Norman, responding to a written question by MP Grahame Morris, said: “Highways England have plans to redeploy 80 Traffic Officers under arrangements to support Operation Brock in Kent.
"The package of hotel and food costs for these staff is £119 per officer per day.”
The scheme is being monitored around the clock and 30 officers are on duty at any one time. Highways England said that because of the nature of Operation Brock, additional staff needed to be close to where they may be needed.
The implementation of a contraflow on the M20 - a key part of the scheme which is designed to keep traffic moving - is into its second week and is likely to remain in place for an indefinite time.
Highways England said bringing in extra staff was a relatively small aspect of Operation Brock.
A spokesman said: “Eighty officers of the 140 total have been brought in from other regions, and we’re ensuring consistency of service in those regions.”
“The redeployed officers are a relatively small proportion of our overall workforce, and the cost of accommodating them is a relatively small part of the overall £35m budget for Operation Brock.”
The minister said in reply to the written question that officers would be “carrying out their normal duties, but in an enhanced capacity in what is expected to be a highly congested area.”
These included getting quickly to incidents, monitoring the contra-flow; reporting on queue lengths and responding to issues.
They would also be “providing a visible presence to inspire confidence and encourage compliance.”
Highways England has insisted the contra-flow is safe after concerns were expressed by a senior county councillor. There have been several incidents since it was implemented.
