I’m near a place called Platt’s Heath on the M20 and I’ve been here since 7am yesterday morning. It’s horrendous. I’ve got a load full of parcels for all over Europe, but right now they’re going nowhere.
I’m facing Dover. But on the northbound carriageway of the M20 there are also trucks facing south waiting for the trains as well. We are in phase two of Operation Stack but they’re in phase three on the other side of the motorway. It’s fantastic.
Something’s got to be done. I do feel for the French workers. There are 600 jobs that are about to be thrown on the scrapheap and there aren’t going to be more jobs for them in Calais. But the level of disruption is absolutely mindblowing. There are portable toilets scattered about the motorway, but you can’t find them. Drivers just have to go to the toilet in the fields and hedgerows. It’s pretty disgusting.
The police have been moved up and down a couple of times. Tesco have delivered some water, which was nice. But that’s it. There’s no information. If you try to stop the police and ask them a question, they are far too busy and drive past you at speed.
The only information we are getting is from Facebook or Twitter, or from the tunnel itself. But the tunnel website for freight is absolutely appalling. It is saying there’s a five-hour wait. But that’s rubbish, because we are stacked here waiting for the train doing diddly squat.
They’re treating us like idiots. There’s no information. The last time I moved was 15 hours and five minutes ago.
It’s getting very hot. But the camaraderie is good at the moment, people are sharing stuff. I’ve been talking to a Hungarian driver who doesn’t speak a word of English but who speaks German and I speak a bit of German. We’re sharing cigarettes and food and jokes.
We are a two-man crew and my esteemed colleague Colin has gone off with Google Maps looking for a shop in a town about a mile a way.
I live in Hemel Hempstead and I’ve got no idea when I’m going to get home. No one’s telling us anything. And if you put something a bit flakey on Twitter for the Kent police or the road police unit, they never respond or they block you, but we’re only asking for information.
@kent_police we are w8ting 4 the train. Cannot understand why we have not moved for 15hrs and the train is running!
— Jim Barker (@jimboy124) July 1, 2015
Jim Barker was talking to Matthew Weaver
