Ports say they are ready to cope with increased freight post-Brexit

Analysis of government figures by consultancy firm PRB Associates showed that half of all container and truck deliveries from the so-called “short sea market” (the arc from Denmark to Portugal) arrived via the Channel Tunnel or Dover, half of all arrivals.

Amid widespread concern that there will be lengthy delays at Dover as the main sea links with the Continent are disrupted following Brexit, shipping companies are increasingly looking for alternative routes into the UK, something the North’s ports say they are well-equipped to handle. .

Peter Baker, of PRB Associates, said any shift from Dover could be accommodated easily because there was spare capacity on routes across the North Sea. He has calculated that as much as a fifth of container trade from Dover and the Channel tunnel could move to alternative crossings.

Around 90 per cent of containers from deep-sea crossings enter the UK through the south, but more than half of that cargo is destined for places north of Birmingham.

Mike Heydecke, director of leading Yorkshire developers Sterling Capitol, believes any increased traffic at the port of Goole will have a tremendously positive knock-on effect on the town and surrounding area.

“Capitol Park Goole, by Junction 36 on the M62, is perfectly positioned to take advantage of any increased activity in the port of Goole. The park has been opened up by a new link road from the motorway to the port and has massive economic potential.”