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Port closure leads to surge in lorry traffic

Getty Images A red lorry heads towards a roundabout with a sign on the road pointing to the Belfast ferry on the left hand laneGetty Images
The Road Hauliers Association said there had been a "substantial increase" in HGVs using Cairnryan

The closure of a Welsh ferry port after it was damaged by Storm Darragh has led to a surge in lorry traffic to southern Scotland.

Holyhead, on Anglesey, is a key crossing to Dublin but the port is out of action until at least 15 January, forcing drivers to seek alternative routes.

The Road Hauliers Association (RHA) said there was a "substantial increase" in HGVs using the port at Cairnryan in Dumfries and Galloway at the weekend

Police issued a warning to drivers on the A75 and A77 of "intermittent increased traffic" on Saturday, although the situation appears to have improved since then.

The increased number of lorries heading for Cairnryan prompted Operation Overflow to be activated with traffic being "stacked" at nearby Castle Kennedy.

About 500 vehicles have used the facility but Transport Scotland said the situation had eased by lunchtime on Monday.

Officials said there were no issues currently being reported but the situation was being watched closely.

Police also issued a warning to drivers to allow extra time for their journeys due to the rise in HGV usage.

Repair work is ongoing at Holyhead - which is the main sea route between north Wales and Dublin - after damage caused more than a week ago.

On average, two million passengers use Holyhead a year and about 1,200 lorries and trailers make the crossing every day.

Extra ferry sailings have been arranged at Birkenhead, Fishguard and Heysham while it remains out of action.

Drivers' hours regulations

Cairnryan has also increased sailings, and the RHA's policy and public affairs director Martin Reid said an unusually large number of lorries were using the port.

He said his organisation had been able to make the case for a "temporary relaxation" of some aspects of drivers' hours rules which was helping to ease the pressures.

"This is the busiest time of the year for most hauliers, and we welcome the governmental support in what have been difficult conditions since the closure of Holyhead," said Mr Reid.

Transport Scotland said both Stena and P&O were confident they had enough capacity to cope with the extra demand, but that the overflow facility could be brought back into use at short notice if needed.

It said the situation on the Scottish roads would be monitored closely on Wednesday with a view to planning for the week ahead.

The agency is also gathering any "lessons learned" from how the situation has been handled so far.