A tweet tonight from Highways England said that moveable barriers were being installed on the M20 tonight. The tweet read: “#BrockM20 is being introduced tonight because of heavy freight numbers heading to the Channel Tunnel and Port of Dover. The M20 has now closed and will reopen at 8 am tomorrow.”
Earlier today Highways England tweeted: “We’re installing the #BrockM20 moveable barrier and contraflows tonight from 8 pm.
“The M20 will be closed coastbound junction 7 (Maidstone) to junction 9 (Ashford) and London-bound junction 9 to 8 (Maidstone East) 8 pm – 8 am.”
The news comes as several EU countries, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Belgium, Israel, and Canada, have blocked travel routes to the UK as a result of the new coronavirus strain.
It was announced today that the Port of Dover will be closed to traffic due for the continent for 48 hours.
This is to comply with the temporary French ban on people travelling from the UK.
Followers of the Highways England Twitter page responded to the news.
One said: “The Prime Minister and Transport Secretary just told the nation in a televised press conference that it’s all under control.
“What happened?”
READ MORE: Dover and Eurotunnel shut: How long will the border be shut?
Tonight lorries will be diverted to Manston Airport.
Today at Downing Street Mr Johnson said: “Last night at 11 pm the French government-imposed restrictions on UK freight crossing to France when accompanied by a driver, and so today I chaired a meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra committee in order to co-ordinate a UK-wide response.
“It is vital, first, to stress that these delays, which are only occurring at Dover, only affect human-handled freight, and that is only 20 percent of the total arriving from or departing to the European continent, which means the vast majority of food, medicines and other supplies are coming and going as normal.”
