SOARING numbers of lorries travelling through Kent mean more than one lorry park would be needed to cope when sections of the M20 are closed because of Operation Stack, a report has warned.

The report, released under the Freedom of Information Act after a request made by the Kent Messenger Group, casts doubt on whether plans for a single lorry park close to the M20 would be enough to counter the disruption and congestion caused when Operation Stack is triggered and sections of the motorway are closed.

Both Kent County Council and the Highways Agency are investigating where a temporary lorry park could be built. One option under consideration is the Kent County Showground at Detling. Eurotunnel is also exploring the possibility of buying 27 acres council-owned land at the Westenhanger junction, near Junction 11.

But the Highways Agency report, based on traffic growth forecasts for 2010 and beyond, concludes a single lorry park would only absorb around half the freight traffic that will build up over an average 12-hour peak period while Operation Stack is in place.

It also suggests that even if the Port of Dover presses ahead with separate plans for a large holding area at the docks, between £20million and £34million would still need to be spent on temporary parking capacity elsewhere.

The report states: "The sheer number of freight vehicles needed to be accommodated during a Stack event means that a single site location with sufficient capacity is unlikely to be identified.

"It is therefore recommended that in anticipation of increased future international freight traffic flows and a corresponding increase in lorry park requirements, a staged and blended off-highway parking strategy is adopted.

"This would involve the identification and commissioning of a number of sites over a number of years, according to demand."

The report also highlights how the costs of building lorry parks could prove prohibitive.

The previously unpublished report calculates that by 2010, providing the estimated 14 hectares of temporary parking needed would cost £20.5million. With traffic levels rising, some 23 hectares would be needed by 2025 at a cost of £34million.

Both figures exclude the costs of buying land, building access roads and providing fencing, lighting and security.