Brexit: Time 'desperately short' to clarify Irish sea border arrangements

"Time is desperately short" to clarify arrangements for lorries and goods crossing the Irish Sea at the end of the Brexit transition period, the Road Haulage Association (RHA) has said.

It said the UK government's proposals for movement between Wales and Ireland were still "slim on detail".

If lorries are not prepared they would be prevented from crossing, it added.

HM Revenue and Customs said its border operating model provided further details on what was required.

About 600 lorries and trailers a day leave Holyhead port, the UK's second-biggest "roll-on roll-off" port.

There are currently no arrangements in place for a lorry park on Anglesey to hold any outbound lorries unable to board a ferry.

Inbound lorries will not face any checks by UK authorities until July 2021.

The RHA has issued a suggested checklist for traders, and lorry and van operators. It contains 31 tasks that need to be completed - 16 of which cannot be tackled until arrangements for 1 January become clearer.

With two and half months to go, the association warned traders and hauliers must get ready "right now" as much as possible for the new border arrangements, which need to be addressed whether or not a trade deal is struck with the EU.

"It's frustrating for Welsh operators and ports to face this uncertainty," the RHA said.

Even if arrangements are clarified, the RHA has a further concern that the technology for pre-boarding systems for crossing borders has not been fully developed or tested.

The European Union is planning to enforce border controls from 1 January.

About 1,200 lorries and trailers a day move both ways through Holyhead port, 100 through Fishguard, and 175 through Pembroke.

That suggests 600 units leave Holyhead for Dublin every day.

A letter seen by the BBC, from Michael Gove to the industry on 22 September, set out the "reasonable worst case scenario".

Mr Gove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, said 40-70% of lorries would not be "border ready" for their journeys from 1 January.

HF Owen Transport and Storage in Bethel, near Caernarfon, takes trailers to and from the ferry at Holyhead. If a trailer they were carrying was prevented from boarding, they would have to drag it back 30 miles to their storage yard.

Fleet Manager Geraint Walker said most transport companies would not have a facility that close to the port.

"We've had nothing off the government whatsoever," he said.

There is no firm plan for a facility on Anglesey for holding any outbound lorries or trailers that are not "border ready".

"I'm concerned about lorries dispersing around Anglesey," said Bob Parry, executive member for highways at Anglesey council.

"HMRC hasn't shown any plans to us at all. What I can't understand is, if they want it even part-operational by January 1 they've got to get a move on."

Plans for an inbound lorry customs site near Mona showground on Anglesey were dropped on Wednesday.

Councillor Parry said the council had since put forward two alternative sites and was waiting to hear back from HM Revenue and Customs.

Following the latest update of the UK government's border operating model last week, the British Ports Association welcomed the "further clarity" but added "timescales are tight" while a "huge amount of preparation is under way".

During a Welsh Affairs Select committee on 1 October, Ian Davies, head of UK Port Authorities at Stena which owns Holyhead and Fishguard, said they were as ready as they could be as a port operator.

But he expressed concern freight hauliers would not be ready for 1 January and that any pre-boarding IT systems were "not fully developed, they're not fully integrated into ferry company check-in systems, and they've not been tested".

He added that he was no longer as worried about inward bound congestion because of plans for inland border facilities to be used from July 2021.

The Welsh Government said: "The UK government has only recently involved us in joint planning including requirements at Welsh ports. Precious time has been lost."

It said it was committed to working with Westminster to ensure ports work as smoothly as possible, "but with a little over two months before the end of transition, we continue to wait for clarity on some major issues".

HM Revenue and Customs said it was working closely "across government, with the Welsh Government and with ports to understand requirements and implement infrastructure changes".

It said it was engaging with ports to understand what infrastructure may be required and "was reviewing a number of potential sites which are close to ports, and near strategic road networks, including options to support Holyhead".