A crisis relief charity, offering emergency relief after earthquakes, hurricanes and floods, was set up to alleviate the suffering of truck drivers stuck in queues after Brexit.
RE: ACT Disaster Response is also working in war-torn Afghanistan and Ukraine – but has now signed an agreement with Kent County Council as it struggles with stagnation in Dover Harbor.
Drivers spend many hours in their cabs because of the mountain of bureaucracy created by Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, which brought an end to a smooth trade with the EU.
Truck passengers have been left without access to toilets, food or drink on the M20 and M2 – previously sparking protests that some are relieving themselves along the way.
Council leaders fear the problems will worsen, as tourists unable to travel due to the Covid pandemic may return to summer vacations.
Up to 50 days of stagnation are already expected each year, prompting the signing of a six-month £ 158,000 contract with RE: ACT, which was drawn up by a former army commander.
A statement announcing the deal said: “Kent County Council has long recognized that it has a duty to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need.
He added: “The direct award was used for reasons of extreme urgency”, explaining why the normal rules of the contract had been circumvented.
RE: ACT came to the aid of flood victims in South Africa, people affected by hurricanes in Mozambique and the Bahamas and refugees from Ukraine.
A spokesman for the charity said it would provide assistance to drivers “in the rare moments when traffic is delayed so long that passengers need extra food and water”.
But the Road Freight Association has expressed concern that it will be “dangerous” to approach drivers while traffic is moving very slowly, as is often the case.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labor’s shadow international trade minister, has accused ministers of “burying their heads in the sand” as the situation worsens.
“The fact that a charity has been called in to help with disasters shows the scale of the crisis that this conservative government has created. It is high time for ministers to start focusing on pragmatic solutions, “he said.
Naomi Smith, chief executive of the internationalist Best for Britain campaign, said: “Away from the sunny heights, the bureaucracy of the prime minister’s Brexit deal has left parts of Kent looking like a disaster area.
A spokesman for the Kent County Council said: “As a responsible local authority, we have long had plans to provide assistance to drivers caught in significant disturbances where it is safe and practical to do so.
“To do this, we routinely work with organizations with experience in emergencies and on busy highways.”
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