Thousands of lorries still stream into Britain daily, yet behind the scenes, mounting errors on import paperwork threaten chaos.
ITV's Joel Hills, who obtained leaked documents, reports that a staggering one-third of import declarations are being rejected. The government downplays the situation, promising to overlook "minor errors" while pushing full controls to some unknown date in the future.
"Freight is flowing normally," Hills reports, but the scene at Dover suggests otherwise.
Officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) admit the new border checks are off to a rocky start. They blame high error rates on traders struggling with the new system, but promise support.
“Checks are now underway, with the highest risk goods our priority," a Defra spokesperson stated. "Our flexible approach will minimize disruption, protecting everyone – especially traders.”
However, those promises ring hollow for businesses. Despite Defra insisting that costs are negligible, the potential economic impact is stark.
"This level of disruption could cost our industry millions," warns an anonymous trade association representative. "The government keeps comparing this to Foot and Mouth, but a paperwork crisis can be just as devastating."
With businesses scrambling and the government downplaying the crisis, the situation at Dover remains a ticking time bomb.