Toilets planned for lorry drivers along Kent roads ahead of post-Brexit queues

Portable toilets could be installed alongside roads in Kent in case lorry drivers get stuck in congestion following the end of the Brexit transition period, the Government has said.

Transport Minister Rachel Maclean told the Transport Select Committee there are plans for the toilets and sanitary facilities to be installed in Kent and other parts of the country which might be hit by transport delays.

She said: “We have detailed plans that we’ve worked up for provision of not only Portaloos but other facilities for drivers, and not only in Kent, should it be necessary, should there be stationary traffic, but also in a range of other areas throughout the country, because we really want to minimise the impact on those drivers who are already working really hard.”

It comes after the Government confirmed a week ago that lorry drivers using the Channel crossings in Kent will need an access permit to enter the county following the end of the transition period.

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove has previously warned that queues of up to 7,000 trucks could form in Kent unless businesses do more to prepare.

Meanwhile, ahead of the latest EU summit in Brussels, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has voiced his “disappointment” that talks between the two sides had not been able to move forward more quickly.