No permit means no access to the Port of Dover

In anticipation of an expected increase in weekend traffic volumes from July 13 to mid-August, M20 will be closed between Maidstone and Ashford overnight on Wednesday (10 July) to allow the Operation Brock contraflow to be deployed.

The system will also reduce the need for the sudden closures of the A20 Roundhill Tunnels and help keep local roads flowing more freely in busy periods.

When will the new permit system be introduced?

The permit system will be in force from 10 July, when Operation Brock is introduced on the M20 motorway in readiness for a busy summer getaway period. It will be used as soon as Dover TAP is instigated, and Operation Brock is being actively used to control the flow of freight to the Port of Dover. Lorries will only be released from Brock when there is enough room in TAP.

How will the permit system work?

Freight drivers MUST follow the correct route on the M20 and collect a permit at the front of Operation Brock. If they do not, they WILL NOT be able to access the Port of Dover.

• Permits will apply to Port of Dover bound freight drivers only and will be issued at the front of the Operation Brock queue.
• Permits will be checked at the A20/B2011 Courtwood Interchange in Dover TAP. If drivers have a valid permit, they will be allowed to re-enter the TAP queue on the A20 and continue their onward journey to the port.
• If they DO NOT have a valid permit, they will be turned back to join the Brock queue

REMEMBER: no permit means no access to the Port of Dover

What happens if hauliers try to bypass this system?

Kent Police and the Driver Vehicle Standards Agency can issue on-the-spot £300 fines to lorry drivers stopped attempting to avoid the traffic management system. Teams are stationed at points along the Kent road network to enforce the legislation and redirect portal-bound freight traffic to the back of the Brock queue on the M20.

What arrangements are in place for local hauliers and deliveries?

• Local HGVs and deliveries WILL NOT be pulled off the A20, but allowed to continue their journey, with passenger and local traffic, onwards into Dover.
• Those Kent hauliers that qualify for the Local Haulier Permit will be sent this shortly, ahead of the busy summer period.
• There is no need to apply for a Local Haulier Permit as, if you fall within the catchment area, KMRF already has your detail

Operation Brock

With extremely busy travel weekends predicted from the 13 July right through to the middle of August, the contraflow traffic management scheme will be reinstated on a 13-mile section of the M20 between junctions 8 (for Maidstone) and 9 (at Ashford). To safely deploy the contraflow, the M20 will be closed – London bound from junction 9 to 8 and coastbound junction 7 to 9 – overnight from 8pm on Wednesday 10 July to 6am on Thursday 11 July. When the M20 reopens on Thursday, 11 July, the Brock contraflow will be in place and all signs should be followed. Once the barrier is in place, all HGVs heading for the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel must follow the signs to join Operation Brock at M20 junction 8.

Any EU-bound HGVs not complying with signage and trying to use another route to Eurotunnel or the Port of Dover risk a fine of £300. They will also be sent to the back of the queue by Police or enforcement agents, wasting time, fuel, and money. This includes trying to bypass the M20 by using the M2/A2 at Brenley Corner.
All other coast bound traffic – including local freight and car drivers heading for the continent – should follow the signs and cross over to enter the contraflow on the M20 London bound carriageway. Anyone planning to use Eurotunnel and the Port of Dover are advised to plan their journeys and check with the travel operator before setting out. They should also allow more time for their journeys and make sure they are prepared for delays, so should have plenty of fuel, warm clothes, and supplies such as food and drink.