Highways England deactivate Operation Brock

Kent’s Operation Brock was a set of measures that aimed to strengthen the county’s resilience should any cross-channel disruption occur.

At the end of October, however, Highways England deactivated Operation Brock.

The company, without mentioning Brexit outright, explained that Operation Brock “had been deployed now in response to potential delays at the ports in the coming days or weeks.”

When the EU offered the United Kingdom a 3-month membership extension, a spokesperson from the Department of Transport explained, “Following the agreement of an extension, the Government took the decision to stand down Operation Brock as soon as is practical.”

On the deactivation of the Operation, Highways England said that the “deactivation reflects the decreased risk of disruption to services across the English channel in coming days and weeks.”

Among other things, the deactivation means that the contraflow on the M20 London-bound carriageway (between junctions 8 and 9) — which currently directs lorries bound for mainland Europe onto the coast-bound carriageway, where queuing is possible if necessary — has been removed. There are now three lanes on the coast-bound M20, which operate at national speed limit, as well as two narrow London-bound lanes, which operate at 50 mph.

“This means Operation Brock can be activated again quickly if it is needed in the coming months.”

What do you think? Do you think cross-channel disruption is still likely, and if so, could the remaining aspects of Operation Brock improve Kent’s response? Let us know in the comments below.

Written by Jasmin Collier