IT Failures Cause Chaos at UK's Brexit Border
A wave of frustration and chaos engulfed the UK's busiest Brexit border post over the weekend as failures with the government's IT systems led to significant delays for lorries carrying perishable food and plants from the EU. Businesses see the new border control checks as a "disaster," with IT outages causing trucks to be held for up to 20 hours, impacting the shelf life of goods, and prompting retailers to reject orders.
IT Failures Paralyze Border Operations:
The heart of the issue lies in the government's Automatic Licence Verification System (ALVS), which experienced technical glitches, resulting in manual document checks and prolonged wait times for imports entering Britain. Over the weekend, lorries were stranded at the Sevington post in Ashford, Kent, with some enduring delays of up to 20 hours due to the system failure.
Importers Bear the Brunt of Delays:
Importers and customs agents shared tales of frustration, with one company reporting that out of 23 trucks that arrived at the Port of Dover, 18 were redirected to Sevington, facing agonizing waits before being released. A manager from an Italian goods importer expressed astonishment at the unexpected delays, highlighting a case where a truck spent a staggering 20 hours at the facility.
Customer Anguish and Supply Chain Disruption:
The repercussions of the IT failures rippled through supply chains, leaving customers angry and deliveries in jeopardy. A Polish transport company laments the lack of information and disorder, with delays resulting in missed drop-offs and irate clients. Another company, sending 70 trucks a week to the UK, recounted how the hold-ups led to rejected deliveries, particularly affecting the sale of fresh products with limited shelf lives.
Government Response and Industry Concerns:
In response to the crisis, a Defra spokesperson acknowledged a power outage affecting import processing systems and activated contingency measures to alleviate delays. However, industry leaders expressed grave concerns over the recurring IT issues, highlighting the significant disruption and costs incurred by the sector. Nigel Jenney, chief executive of the Fresh Produce Consortium, underscored the urgency of addressing these challenges to mitigate further disruptions.
