Lorries arriving from Ireland which are heading to Wales will need to drive to either Birmingham or Warrington to go through customs, as local authorities in Holyhead are yet to designate an area for Brexit customs procedures. This means that drivers could be faced with an extra 100 miles per journey.
Following the Brexit transition period on January 1st 2021, drivers traveling from Northern Ireland will undergo customs procedures when arriving on the British mainland.
Authorities at Holyhead port, the busiest port in Wales which specialises in road freight are yet to agree a suitable location for a customs port. As a result, those traveling into England will need to go through custom duty processes, according to regional news publication North Wales Live.
Sources suggest that a depot at either Appleton Thorn, close to Warrington and alternatively a location in Soligul close to Birminhgham are set to become the designated customs post for lorries arriving at Holyhead.
With the UK Government’s 3- step introduction of customs controls in place, some lorries won’t face any checks until mid-2021 (July.)
Statistics report that over a thousand lorries a day travel through Holyhead, and as a result this could result in hundreds of added miles on journeys and may impact traffic on motorways, too.
Hauliers from Ireland will be given the option to avoid the route and opt for the UK landbridge from January 1st 2021 due to Irish Ferries and Stena Lina joining forces to provide daily services for trucks from Ireland to France, and vise-versa.
Although this is good news for Irish hauliers, it’s a daunting issue for the Welsh economy.
