Dover's fear of the No-Deal-Brexit

ferries with Goods from the EU mainland a meeting in Dover several times every hour. The Trucks are handled here quickly. However, in the case of a disordered Brexit, the Chaos is threatening the port city in the South of England.

By Anne Demmer, ARD Studio London, currently Dover

John Kemp who has been living for 25 years on the edge of the port of Dover. The pensioner is leaving with his wife to the house. Every day he sees when he looks out of the window, as the Truck loaded with fruit, flowers, foodstuffs, or the supply of parts for the car industry, the ferries leave.

family Kemp's care before the long traffic jams in Dover.

at The Moment, are not required to show the driver their documents, are not controlled. Should there be a No-Deal-Brexit, a chaotic exit from the EU, there would be from one day to the other customs controls. Of the Chaos that threatens the retirees already have an idea. Kemp remembers the last strike about three years ago by the French workers: "If there is a strike in Calais on the French side, then the back pressure is formed here. We had the last Time, a queue of Trucks stretched almost to Ashford." There was a traffic jam of almost 40 kilometres, along the M20, the motorway that leads from London to Dover.

The mainland is only 30 kilometers

It was a hazy January day. Far you can't see, 30 kilometers to Calais from Dover. Tim Dixon is preparing his company Motis on a possible No-Deal scenario. He stands on the chalk cliffs of the city. From here, he can look all over the port. "We now see three ferries. One comes, the other leaves the port just from afar you can already see the next one, which will be arriving in ten minutes," he says. And each ferry also transports cargo.

The port of Dover: everything running mostly smoothly.

Parking there is only for Trucks from outside the EU

It only takes a Moment, then the Truck from the ferry, which has just created roles. You leave in the liquid Tempo of the harbour and set a course for the highway. However, this flow would be disturbed, there would be a No-Deal-Brexit.

Tim Dixon prepares his company on one No-Deal-Brexit.

The service company Motis performs now every day customs checks for Truck drivers who come from countries outside the EU, such as Turkey, Switzerland, or Russia. For you there is a Parking lot. However, the very limited capacity, which could expand hardly, Tim Dixon explains. On one side of the chalk cliffs, and on the other the sea:

"maybe We could create a bit of space, but really only very limited. We are currently carrying out a day at around 540 Truck customs controls. But there are 10,000 trucks that pass through the port of Dover every day, so one can imagine the scenario, if all of these trucks will be controlled."

for the Just-In-Time production?

The area for waiting Trucks would not be sufficient. The result is a long backlog. May be the nearby Manston airport could serve as a Park area, although just about 1000 vehicles. To delivery delays would be. Super markets would be waiting for food, car manufacturer to supply parts for Just-In-Time production is essential. Missing components, the whole production is at a standstill.

"Now we have to wait for the first vote on Tuesday," says Dixon. "I hope that we agree in the end on some Form of Deal, but I just don't see it. We are heading straight towards a chaotic exit. This could be a disaster, 'Armageddon', as the other day, someone called."

Bye Bye EU: The famous mural attributed to the Street artist Banksy, in the port of Dover

The retired John Kemp and his wife hope that the UK and the EU on the 29. March as planned leaves. In a pinch, you would also accept - in spite of all the apocalyptic scenarios - a withdrawal without an agreement. The deputies in the Parliament, they get angry: "you have just lost contact to the citizens they represent. There are members who want to vote against Brexit Deal, because you do not want a second Referendum, although your choice has voted for withdrawal from the EU."