Operation Brock to lift during overnight closure

A stretch of the M20 in Kent is to close overnight for the Operation Brock contraflow system to be removed.

The traffic-holding measure for lorries queueing to cross the English Channel is set to be deactivated between 20:00 on Sunday and 06:00 BST on Monday.

The road will be closed between junctions nine and eight, heading towards London, and junctions seven and nine heading towards the coast.

The system had been due to be removed on 24 August but it will be removed ahead of this as confidence in the remainder of the summer getaway has increased, the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF) says.

A KMRF spokesperson said the removal of Operation Brock, which was deployed at the start of the summer holidays, was due to a decrease in expected tourist traffic and positive efforts from the French Police aux Frontières to keep traffic flow at borders smooth.

Once the system, between Maidstone and Ashford, has been dismantled, the motorway will reopen with three lanes on each carriageway and the national speed limit put back in place.

Drivers are being advised to follow diversion signs during the closure, rather than their satnav directions.

Traffic management plans will remain in place in Dover to deal with any unexpected disruption, the KMRF spokesperson added.

KMRF strategic lead for border disruption, Simon Jones, said: "We have always said the decisions we make will be based on data and evidence and I am confident that we are past the most significantly risky part of this summer's getaway."

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