Ferry line reassures passengers after Yellowhammer publication
Brittany Ferries is attempting to reassure passengers that its routes will continue to operate as normal after October 31 after documents wrestled from the Tory government revealed it has been warned of the potential for major disruption to the flow of cross-Channel goods if Britain leaves the EU without a deal.
Yellowhammer, the codename given to the government’s Brexit contingency planning, suggested that in a worst-case scenario, disruption could last up to six months.
The government’s contingency plans, last updated in early August, were published yesterday after the Tories were forced to give in to a request by MPs to make them public.
In a statement this morning, Brittany Ferries said: "While Yellowhammer’s ‘reasonable worst case planning assumptions’ scenarios relating to potential cross-border problems focus on short sea (Dover-Calais) routes, Brittany Ferries understands that some of its passengers may be concerned about their travel plans too.
"That is why it is taking steps this morning to reassure both passengers and freight customers, using Western Channel routes out of Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth."
The ferry operator’s spokesman Nigel Wonnacott said the company had had plenty of practice preparing for a no-deal scenario.
"We have been working through local resilience forums (LRFs) in our ports and closely with our port partners to mitigate risks," he said.
"While we cannot say for certain that there will be no disruption, we can reassure customers that comprehensive steps have been taken. We operate on longer Western Channel crossings to five destinations in northern France and two in northern Spain. These routes will continue to operate as normal post October 31st."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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