France accused of over-reacting over Covid variant after 1,500 tests on truckers in Dover and zero positive results

France was today accused of over-reacting to the new strain of Covid-19 in Britain after 1,500 tests on truckers came back with no positive results.

The French authorities slapped restrictions on hauliers crossing the Channel following the emergence of the VUi202012/01 coronavirus mutation which is believed to spread faster than other strains.

The UK and France agreed to a testing regime to allow trucks to start flowing again on the Dover-Calais link.

The Standard has been told that out of the first 1,500 tests none came back positive.

A Whitehall source criticised the “over hasty” action by the French authorities, adding: “All of this trouble - there have been 1,500 tests - no positives.”

The EU’s Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean criticised Emmanuel Macron’s government over the weekend’s freight ban.  

She tweeted: “I am pleased that at this moment, we have trucks slowly crossing the Channel, and I want to thank UK authorities that they started testing the drivers at a capacity of 300 tests per hour.

“I deplore that France went against our recommendations and brought us back to the situation we were in in March when the supply chains were interrupted.”

More military personnel were being deployed to Kent to speed up testing, with the aim to get it to more than 600 done an hour, with tests being carried out at the Manston airfield, Dover and roads leading to the port.

Police are also clearing trucks and vans to the port so the flow of vehicles to ferries can be speeded up.

Ferries were leaving Dover this morning but around 6,000 hauliers still remain in Kent and many of them will have to spend Christmas Dayparked up waiting to cross the Channel, away from their families.

Fewer than 100 vehicles left the Port of Dover on Wednesday night, as thousands more remain stranded in Kent on Christmas Eve.

Drivers, including many who have been waiting in queues since Sunday, are allowed to cross the Channel once they have returned negative coronavirus tests, which are being administered by members of the military and French firefighters.

When asked how many lorries have been able to leave via ferry since Sunday, a Port of Dover spokesperson said: “Overnight, due to restrictions on testing, the port received under 100 freight vehicles.

“However, now testing has fully mobilised at the port we anticipate that figure rising significantly throughout the day.”

It came as Grant Shapps promised that ferries will sail on Christmas Day and Boxing Day as French firemen have been drafted in to help with testing the stranded drivers.

The Transport Secretary said on Twitter: "As well as ensuring ferries will now sail on Christmas and Boxing Day, we've also got great cooperation by French firemen working with NHS Test and Trace and our brilliant military in a big effort to clear the backlog created by the French border closure."

He made the pledge as a team of 26 French firefighters was sent to Dover with 10,000 coronavirus tests for drivers hoping to cross the Channel.

France's ambassador to the UK Catherine Colonna said the two countries were "neighbours, partners, allies and (yes) friends".

The French authorities have demanded a negative coronavirus test for drivers seeking to cross to the continent as part of the plan to reopen the border, which was closed earlier this week over fears about the spread of the variant coronavirus.

Earlier Mr Shapps called for "patience" from the lorry drivers stranded outside the Port of Dover following the French travel ban.

Grant Shapps said work continues to "get traffic rolling”. However, the Transport Secretary added that drivers needed to "follow instructions" from British officials in order to leave.

It comes after some drivers clashed with police in Dover on Wednesday, while others protested by blocking roads near the lorry holding facility at Manston Airport, where there have been complaints over a lack of food and toilets.

Mr Shapps told the BBC: "The issue is just the logistics of people following the instructions and making sure we can keep the port clear in order that we can get the traffic rolling.

"The more that people follow the clear instructions the faster we can get this resolved.

"It will take a matter of days rather than weeks or anything else but there will be, I'm afraid, some patience required."

He added the Government was providing "welfare" for the lorry drivers stuck at the border and would continue to do so in the days to come.

The disused airfield site at Manston has become the main testing centre for hauliers, with drivers required to self-administer the tests in their cabs under supervision.

Around 170 military personnel, including those from the 36 Engineer Regiment and 1 Irish Guards, are assisting with testing.

Adina Valean, the European Union's transport commissioner, said she was pleased stranded trucks are now moving "slowly across the Channel" after Covid restrictions between France and the UK were lifted.

"I am pleased that at this moment, we have trucks slowly crossing the Channel, and I want to thank UK authorities that they started testing the drivers at a capacity of 300 tests per hour," Ms Valean tweeted.

"I deplore that France went against our recommendations and brought us back to the situation we were in in March when the supply chains were interrupted."

Kent Police said one man was arrested on Wednesday for obstructing a highway in Dover. A police car was also damaged during a disturbance at Manston, the force added.

There were 3,750 vehicles at the Manston site as of 6.15pm on Wednesday, along with 632 HGVs on the M20 as part of Operation Stack and 1,690 in Operation Brock, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.

On Wednesday, Kent Council leader Roger Gough told Sky News tensions between police and drivers had calmed down but added the situation remained "quite fragile".

He added he expected the number of lorries entering the Eurotunnel to "pick up" rapidly.

France imposed the travel ban in response to fears about the spread of the more infectious coronavirus strain, which is spreading in the UK.

Hauliers must be able to show proof of a negative test result carried out within the past 72 hours in order to be able to cross into France.

All truck drivers, regardless of nationality, will be required to take a lateral flow test which can detect the new strain of Covid-19 and return results in about 30 minutes, the Road Haulage Association (RHA) said.

Those who return a positive coronavirus result will be offered a second PCR test to confirm the result, and if they test positive again they will be moved into Covid-secure hotel accommodation to self-isolate for 10 days.

Hauliers have been urged not to travel to Kent until further notice.

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