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THOUSANDS MORE LORRIES have been allowed to cross the English Channel after being held at the border on Christmas Day, but hauliers have warned “it’s not over yet”.
Congestion continues to ease at the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel today after thousands of drivers spent days in queues, but more who held off leaving for the border over the festive period are expected to join the queue soon.
France closed its border last Sunday following the discovery of a fast-spreading mutant Covid-19 strain in the UK, and drivers wishing to enter the country from Britain must now show proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken in the previous 72 hours.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said 15,000 lorry drivers had been tested for coronavirus by midday today and the backlog at the testing site at Manston Airport had cleared.
He said on Twitter: “Update on Kent lorry situation: 15,526 #Coronavirus tests now carried out. Just 36 positive results, which are being verified (0.23%). Manston now empty and lorries should no longer head there please.”
Traffic began moving smoothly through Dover on Friday, with French firefighters and the Polish military’s Territorial Defence Force drafted in to help some 1,100 British military personnel with testing at Manston Airport and two mobile sites.
Around 3,000 hauliers were still waiting to cross into France from Kent yesterday evening, and around half of these had been cleared by 10.30am today, according to the UK Department for Transport.
More than 8,000 HGVs have passed over the border via the port or through Eurotunnel since Wednesday when the border reopened, the department said.
Duncan Buchanan, policy director at the Road Haulage Association (RHA), said “traffic is flowing” at the Port of Dover on Boxing Day, but he added “it’s not over yet” because more drivers who held off leaving over Christmas would be joining the queue in the coming days.
Buchanan said: “At the moment, it’s just a case of keep going because we need to make sure we can get as many people out as possible.
“We still have all the people who delayed travelling, who will start to want to get through. Some people will have parked up in Essex and will be looking at moving again.
“Next week is a normal working week so I would expect the vehicles to increase then too. It’s not over yet and we will see what happens next.
“I want to pass on a thank-you to everyone who has helped look after the drivers by giving them food – a lot of people have done a lot of hard work, and it’s really good to see so many people helping.”
Volunteers – including individuals from nearby communities, the Salvation Army, Muslim group Al-Khair Foundation, HM Coastguard and Kent County Council – have been delivering thousands of warm meals and water to the drivers.
But will it leave empty red bull cans and crisp packets in the cavity?
Ten years and 4.6 million is good going to make a cartoon.
Jesus that will do away with alot of construction jobs great invention tho but bad for skilled block laying trade so i am against would put more people out of work.
They’ll need more than 4.6 million to persuade the CFMEU. It would want to be a lot faster than the cartoon to keep up with some of the Aussie crews, 2 months me hole, 2 weeks more like.
I think it even whistles, when a leggy blonde walks by.
Wonder if it’s powered by tea or diesel., and will it turn up two weeks late.
its powered by jumbo breakfast rolls of course..
They built this city. They built this city on breakfast rolls!
Will it charge €2 a block and have a swelled head as well?
10 years and they can’t show a live demonstration. Maybe their €4.8 million cartoon might give The Minions a run for its money…
That and the fact that it’s probably obsolete before it gets going.
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/video/2014/apr/29/3d-printer-builds-houses-china-video
No more builders crack taking the eye outoya and putting you off your breakfast.
Roll.
Why are you eating your breakfast in front of builders arses?
Bricklaying is an art when building arches,Flemish garden bonds and feature work,no machine can take away the skill involved when built by a craftsman,no more bricklayers training simply because it’s hard work outside in all types of weather,young people want the money not the trade,I’m a bricklayer and proud.
That’s bull everything is handed to a bricklayer and there scared of bad weather lol
What would you know about anything.
I’d say the “no more bricklayers training” bit is probably down to a massive collapse in the construction industry no?
At the corner of that wall it seems to have placed a full brick where a half one was needed, just saying………..
Like a lot of the rubbish built in the boom so. 2 blocks n a cardboard box for insulation. You can hear next door having a piss and all yours for just 400k.
Why do people keep making things that take away someone’s job, can they not see the damage they are doing?
Profit margin – that’s it and nothing more.
@john that’s called the Luddite fallacy. Why should anyone be against progress? This is a good thing.
back to 1 euro 40 a block so.
In what world does it take 2 months to build the brick frame of a house?
I didn’t see any mortar in the cartoon either, so what we basically have is a machine that stacks blocks, brilliant
There is a compound of some sort been sprayed onto brick before its layed
Yup, it can make the house in two days but will break a lot of homes forever…..
There is a nozzle spraying mortar on the brick just before it gets laid.
My nozzle normally sprays it’s loads while I get laid and not before. Just saying
It can even lay blocks without mortar. Now that’s a feat I’d like to see.!!
That’s the breakfast roll goosed so …!
Why is it a good thing Graham Galvin. Does it free up more would be tradesmen to fulfil their dream of creating another start up that either goes nowhere or kills off more employees.
Capitalism fallacy.
The most likely advance will be 3D printing. using new alloys etc they can now simply printout full size buildings. this had already been done, along with a a bridge which was basically made on the go.
Omg wot a load of shit
what about the butt joints?
have your say