The head of Kent’s police watchdog has become the latest person to rail against Operation Stack – and she has urged people to spare a thought for the police officers caught in the middle.

Chair of Kent Police Authority Ann Barnes told of her personal hatred of the dreaded emergency traffic measure which sees chunks of the coastbound carriageway of the M20 turned into a lorry park in the event of problems at Dover or Calais ports.

Last month Stack went on for an unprecedented 18 days due to industrial action by French ferry workers.

Ms Barnes - who lives along the affected part of the M20 - said: “I suffered as did everyone else living near Folkestone, day after day after day, and I do honestly pray we can find a solution."

Speaking after a KPA meeting she said: “It is also not fair for police officers in charge of policing the operation – they are spending a lot of their time babysitting foreign lorry drivers when they just want to be doing their day job.

“People get frustrated and cross (with Stack) and often take it out on police, and that's really not fair.

“I think the police have done a really good job and the KPA needs to work with our partners, local government and central government to find a solution to this.”

KCC has proposed a lorry park for 3,000 vehicles on a site just off the M20 near Aldington. Kent Police are backing the plan but local residents are opposed.