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Roads, rail and ferry journeys in Kent hit by weather M20 in Kent still disrupted by cross-channel backlog
(about 9 hours later)
Part of the M20 motorway in Kent has been closed as routes to continental Europe are badly affected by weather. Part of the M20 in Kent remains closed as police and port officials continue to regulate freight traffic heading for Dover and the Channel Tunnel.
Operation Stack - which sees lorries park up on the motorway while waiting to get into the Port of Dover - has been put in place. Operation Stack - which reserves part of the coastbound motorway for lorries to park before crossing the Channel - has been in place since early Tuesday.
Snow and ice in France and Belgium has caused delays to freight and passenger services through the Channel Tunnel. Police say it will remain in operation for the rest of Wednesday and possibly into Thursday.
Ferry services are running a normal service after DFDS earlier reported delays of up to three hours. Rail services through the tunnel also remain affected by snow and ice.
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 Freezing weather on both sides of the Channel has disrupted road, rail and ferry services in Kent since Monday.
'Substantial queues'
The backlog prompted the closure of the M20 between the Maidstone and Ashford turn-offs to allow for the complex operation to shift non-freight traffic off the motorway and onto the A20 to make room for the hundreds of lorries waiting to board ferries and trains for France.
A police spokeswoman said the section was no longer full of lorries, but still had substantial queues.
A decision on how long the operation continues will be made later.
A Port of Dover spokesman said: "We're loading lorries on as fast we can."A Port of Dover spokesman said: "We're loading lorries on as fast we can."
Operation Stack closed the M20 southbound between junction eight (Leeds Castle) and junction nine (Ashford north). rel="stylesheet" href="/news/special/shared/weather/forecast_search/css/forecast.css" type="text/css" /> Latest local news, travel and weather

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Non-commercial traffic is being diverted on to the A20 and lorries are being sent back on to the motorway to be parked. href="http://www.eurostar.com/dynamic/_SvBoExpressBookingTerm?_TMS=1363197013762&_DLG=SvBoExpressBookingTerm&_LANG=UK&_AGENCY=ESTAR&country=UK&lang=UK&VT=EB" >Eurostar is still reporting lengthy delays for passengers using its high-speed trains through the tunnel.
The A20 itself was closed in Dover for a while because of a crash involving four lorries. The company said it was operating an amended timetable on Wednesday and Thursday, with delays of up to two hours expected because of speed restrictions.
Eurotunnel is reporting delays of about 30 minutes for freight services at Folkestone, due to the volume of traffic, while href="http://www.eurostar.com/" >Eurostar said weather conditions in northern France and Belgium were leading to disruption on cross-channel high speed lines. Timetables for passengers using Eurotunnel services were back to normal, with up to two departures an hour, but freight traffic could expect waits of up to 30 minutes to check in for cross-Channel journeys.
It said it expected to operate an amended schedule, with journey times being up to two hours longer than usual and some services cancelled. href="http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/" >Southeastern trains had earlier said some services had to be delayed or cancelled, but it has since been reporting no disruption.
href="http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/" >Southeastern trains said some services may be delayed or cancelled and that Network Rail had been running ice treatment trains across the rail network. BBC weather presenter Rachel Mackley said the worst of the wintry weather would die out overnight, but that there would be a widespread frost throughout the South East before temperatures started rising again during Thursday.
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  • Land
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  • Lakes, Rivers & Sea

Fog

Light Heavy

Frost

Light Heavy

Pressure Fronts

Cold Warm Occluded

Rain

Light Heavy Extreme

Snow

Light Heavy

Map Key

  • Land
  • Cloud
  • Lakes, Rivers & Sea

Fog

Light Heavy

Frost

Light Heavy

Pressure Fronts

Cold Warm Occluded

Rain

Light Heavy Extreme

Snow

Light Heavy
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