Manston airport will be ready to take lorries diverted by Operation Stack from tonight, say the site’s owners.

The airfield was a hive of activity today, with dozens of workers making preparations to turn the 800-acre site into a temporary lorry park.

It is understood that a trial took place this morning by HGVs who followed the likely diversion route to Manston.

The scale of activity in preparing the site to accept hundreds of lorries vividly illustrated the challenge the government faced in identifying a different place to divert lorries to when Operation Stack is in place.

The airfield is being equipped with floodlighting and lines are being painted for spaces, while caterers, round-the-clock security staff and parking marshalls have been contracted and are ready to work immediately.

Toilets and shower blocks are also being put in - and preparations include putting in temporary cats' eyes on the runway and surrounding area.

KentOnline revealed on Monday the airport's owners were set to sign a contract to use the site for a temporary lorry park.

Owners’ spokesman Ray Mallon said the site could easily accommodate between 1,000 and 2,000 lorries but that he had been told the maximum capacity was 5,000.

The costs would run into tens of thousands of pounds that will be met by the government.

He said the government first approached the owners on Friday and that was followed by a weekend of negotiations and discussions.

“It is clear that the M20 is at breaking point.This is a national emergency.

"Doing nothing is not an option. The problem we are facing is that Operation Stack is having a great impact on Kent and that there is absolutely no doubt that it is having an impact beyond that - even as far as Scotland.”

He allayed fears that the hard standing of the runway was not capable of withstanding the impact of hundreds of parked lorries.

Meanwhile, campaigners trying to restore Manston as an airport pulled back from a threat of taking direct action and trying to block lorries from entering the site.

Ruth Bailey, of the Supporters for Manston Airport Group, said the threat had been made in the heat of the moment yesterday when they had learned the news.

She said the choice of Manston was “totally crazy” and that the main roads into Thanet would be completely blocked.

"We must be thankful that, at last, solutions are being thought out and tested and I hope the temporary use of Manston airfield proves successful..." - Ann Barnes

“It is the height of the holiday season and tourism is going to be affected.”

On the threat to blockade the airfield, she said: "Obviously, it was a shock to hear the news but having slept on it, we have calmed down a bit.

"The idea of direct action was a knee-jerk reaction. It is a fait accompli and there is nothing we can do about it. Direct action would be a self-defeating exercise.”

There remain concerns that access to the site could be difficult and lead to the same issues of congestion and gridlock that occur with the existing arrangements.

Dover District Council has expressed "major reservations" about the practicalities of the plans and the resources needed to put it into practice.

The authority is concerned that Dover will be blocked from the west at the M20 and A20, and the east at the A2, which could also clog up Sandwich, Deal and the rural villages.

Portfolio holder for access and licensing, Cllr Nigel Collor, said: "This is clearly not a sensible solution and has not been met with any great enthusiasm by the ferry operators.

"Any short term measures to increase holding capacity should be located close to the existing Operation Stack arrangements.

“What we need is for the Government to commit now to creating a sustainable road network in Kent that balances support for our vital economic cross-Channel trading links with the need for local people to go about their business without hindrance."

But Kent's crime commissioner Ann Barnes is among those to welcome the decision.

In a statement today, she said: "While there are obvious risks associated with any new option – which have to be mitigated against – such as extra congestion on other roads, I know that Kent Police is working incredibly hard with partners on the feasibility and safety of this proposal.

"It's safe to say that significantly more police resources will be required, and Kent Police will continue to use mutual aid – officers loaned from neighbouring forces – at an additional cost. Policing resources cost money and I make no apologies for spelling them out.

"With that said, we must be thankful that, at last, solutions are being thought out and tested and I hope the temporary use of Manston airfield proves successful."

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