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Dispute leads to port's closure M20 gridlock due to Calais strike
(about 3 hours later)
No ferries are sailing from Dover to Calais because of strike by workers has led to the French port's closure. Hundreds of lorry drivers are stranded in Kent after industrial action in France closed the Port of Dover.
The coastbound carriageway of the M20 motorway, leading to the Kent port, has been closed because of the dispute. No ferries are sailing between Dover and Calais after a strike by workers led to the French port's closure.
Kent Police have put Operation Stack in place, allowing lorries to park on the motorway, which is closed between junction 11 and 12. Part of the coast-bound carriageway of the M20, leading to the Kent port, has been closed because of the dispute.
The dispute began in Calais on Tuesday afternoon, and the port there currently remains closed. Operation Stack was put in place on Tuesday afternoon, allowing lorries to park on the M20, which is currently closed between junctions eight and 12.
Traffic other than lorries is being diverted away from the M20. Police have provided food, water and toilet facilities for the drivers, many of whom were stranded overnight.
'12-hour backlog'
Insp Roy Kingston said some lorry drivers had been able to leave Dover via a limited service to Dunkirk.
"But a large number have got freight booked through the Calais port... and they're not going anywhere.
"It is a situation that is outside of our control," he said.
He told BBC Radio Kent that no time had been given for the strike to end.
Keith Southey, of Dover Harbour Board, said there were more than 1,000 lorries stuck on the M20, which could take up to 12 hours to clear once the strike was over.
He said the situation had been made worse because of the increased amount of freight traffic leading up to Christmas.
Other motorists using the M20 coastbound are being diverted at junction eight onto the A20 through Lenham.