British supermarkets warned of shortages of certain goods a few days before Christmas, and even if talks between the two countries lead to the opening of the border, the chaos will take days to resolve.
On Tuesday morning, police officers stood at the entrance to the English port of Dover with a large sign behind them that read “French Borders Closed”.
Police have instructed a number of drivers to have a coronavirus test done at nearby Manston Airport in the hope that a deal can be reached between the French and British authorities by the end of the day.
Nearly 3,000 trucks have been stranded in Kent, a Kent County Council press officer told CNN Tuesday afternoon.
The M20 motorway – a major gateway to the continent for trucks entering and leaving the UK – has 632 trucks and the Manston Airport car park has 2,188.
While drivers from Europe are not prohibited from entering the UK, fears are growing that hauliers will oppose for fear of not being able to return home, leading to food shortages.
The pre-Christmas period has traditionally been a busy time for trade as fresh produce from Europe is imported for the holidays. In addition, the UK is building stocks before the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31.
On Monday, Sainsbury’s, one of the UK’s largest supermarket chains, said if nothing changes there will be a shortage of lettuce, some lettuce leaves, cauliflower, broccoli and citrus fruits.
Meanwhile, the UK government says it is providing food, drink and toilets to UK truck drivers currently stalled in the area around the Eurotunnel.
A Romanian driver named Adrian, who is trapped in Dover, told CNN: “A lot of people make their holidays here in the car … they can’t go home. It’s not good. We’re lucky because we’re here in Dover, but a lot of people are stuck on the road. They can’t go to the toilet or take a shower. “
“We don’t get any respect at all … but if we stop, the whole of Europe won’t do anything. This truck, that truck, they deliver food … if they stop, no one is going to eat.”
Adrian added that he had been sleeping in his car for the past three days with no help from the authorities or access to bathrooms or clean water. “It’s not a good situation. Many of us have families at home, they have children at home.” He said he was cooking food from a small stove in the back of his van.
Meanwhile, the challenges that arise at Dover could be a preview of what could happen on January 1, when the Brexit transition period ends and those trade barriers move from temporary to status quo.
“Supply chains were already under pressure from the upcoming January 1 changes, so adding border barriers has left us quite vulnerable,” David Henig, director of the UK’s European Center for International Political Economy, told CNN. “This also comes at a bad time for global confidence in the UK as border barriers are on the verge of rising.”
Luke McGee reported and wrote from London; Salma Abdelaziz reported from Dover. Sharon Braithwaite contributed to this report.