How does Operation Brock impact you?

Share How does Operation Brock impact you? on Facebook Share How does Operation Brock impact you? on Twitter Share How does Operation Brock impact you? on Linkedin Email How does Operation Brock impact you? link

Consultation has concluded.

View of M20 during Operation Brock

Cllr David Burton, Leader of Maidstone Borough Council:

“The implementation of Operation Brock causes significant disruption to residents and businesses of Maidstone. We know that it is needed as part of the current plan to manage the volume of both freight and tourist traffic using the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel when queues build up. This can occur for a variety of reasons. The number of occasions when Op Brock is in place and the impact for our community, businesses and people travelling to and around the borough are unacceptable. This situation cannot be allowed to continue.

We need your help to build the case for change. So we want to hear from you about the impacts that you experience when Op Brock is in place – for your personal lives and working lives – so that we can build a picture of environmental, social and economic impacts.

Operation Brock is not a long term or permanent solution for the border control issues. We cannot tolerate this becoming the “new normal”.

So we also need to look at alterative solutions. We would also like to hear your views on this.

My personal view is that there needs to be sufficient off road lorry parking in the vicinity of the ports and this would help manage some occasions with high freight and tourist traffic queues. I know that others suggest a scheme to hold vehicles further up country and I will not rule this out although there would be operational challenges to how this would work and be enforced. Technology has enabled us to work productively throughout the pandemic in many walks of life – technology could also offers solutions to these challenges.

We want Maidstone to be a Borough that works for everyone, with residents and local businesses at the heart of our decision making and would really like to hear from you about how this disruption has impacted on your lives and ideas for alternative ways forward, so that I can take this evidence to Government to demand action to prevent this from going on forever."

How can you get involved?

1. Experiences - Share your experiences of Operation Brock. We want to know more how Operation Brock impacts on you, your life, your local area or your business. Tell us about your experiences (below). We encourage you to comment on the posts left by other residents whose experiences you may share.

2. Ideas - Tell us your ideas about what can be done to improve the effect Operation Brock has on you, your life, your local area or your business when it is in operation.

3. Impact - Take part in our quick poll (on the right) to tell us what level of impact Operation Brock has had on you.

4. Location - Use our map to show us where in the borough you've experienced issues due to Operation Brock.

What Next

We will be gathering this information up until 2 October 2022, this timeframe may be extended based on the response or to gather further information and feedback.

Cllr David Burton, Leader of Maidstone Borough Council:

“The implementation of Operation Brock causes significant disruption to residents and businesses of Maidstone. We know that it is needed as part of the current plan to manage the volume of both freight and tourist traffic using the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel when queues build up. This can occur for a variety of reasons. The number of occasions when Op Brock is in place and the impact for our community, businesses and people travelling to and around the borough are unacceptable. This situation cannot be allowed to continue.

We need your help to build the case for change. So we want to hear from you about the impacts that you experience when Op Brock is in place – for your personal lives and working lives – so that we can build a picture of environmental, social and economic impacts.

Operation Brock is not a long term or permanent solution for the border control issues. We cannot tolerate this becoming the “new normal”.

So we also need to look at alterative solutions. We would also like to hear your views on this.

My personal view is that there needs to be sufficient off road lorry parking in the vicinity of the ports and this would help manage some occasions with high freight and tourist traffic queues. I know that others suggest a scheme to hold vehicles further up country and I will not rule this out although there would be operational challenges to how this would work and be enforced. Technology has enabled us to work productively throughout the pandemic in many walks of life – technology could also offers solutions to these challenges.

We want Maidstone to be a Borough that works for everyone, with residents and local businesses at the heart of our decision making and would really like to hear from you about how this disruption has impacted on your lives and ideas for alternative ways forward, so that I can take this evidence to Government to demand action to prevent this from going on forever."

How can you get involved?

1. Experiences - Share your experiences of Operation Brock. We want to know more how Operation Brock impacts on you, your life, your local area or your business. Tell us about your experiences (below). We encourage you to comment on the posts left by other residents whose experiences you may share.

2. Ideas - Tell us your ideas about what can be done to improve the effect Operation Brock has on you, your life, your local area or your business when it is in operation.

3. Impact - Take part in our quick poll (on the right) to tell us what level of impact Operation Brock has had on you.

4. Location - Use our map to show us where in the borough you've experienced issues due to Operation Brock.

What Next

We will be gathering this information up until 2 October 2022, this timeframe may be extended based on the response or to gather further information and feedback.

Tell about your experiences of Operation Brock

We want to hear about your experiences of Operation Brock and understand the impact it has on your life. 

Share your story

Thank you for sharing your story with us.
CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.
  • Share A real blight to the Kent area! on Facebook Share A real blight to the Kent area! on Twitter Share A real blight to the Kent area! on Linkedin Email A real blight to the Kent area! link

    A real blight to the Kent area!

    by JF, almost 4 years ago
    Brick is not a solution to this horrific problem. The lorries & vans use their phone sat navs which take them through tiny villages like Lenham and block the junctions because they are too wide to negotiate the roadway.

    It has been coupled with so so so many local road closures that travelling anywhere has been absolutely awful.
    I simply don’t understand why J8 is where it starts and why the International Lorry Park at J10 can’t be used to stack the lorries! Such a blight to the area!

    Brick is not a solution to this horrific problem. The lorries & vans use their phone sat navs which take them through tiny villages like Lenham and block the junctions because they are too wide to negotiate the roadway.

    It has been coupled with so so so many local road closures that travelling anywhere has been absolutely awful.
    I simply don’t understand why J8 is where it starts and why the International Lorry Park at J10 can’t be used to stack the lorries! Such a blight to the area!

  • Share Cut off by brock on Facebook Share Cut off by brock on Twitter Share Cut off by brock on Linkedin Email Cut off by brock link

    Cut off by brock

    by Rook, almost 4 years ago
    Operation brock causes no end of disruption for residents. We live in Kingswood and are continually impacted by brock! It makes it difficult to visit family in Ashford, travelling out the A20 side of the village to Harrietsham and the country roads become rat runs. The brock implementation at the start of the school hoildays was particularly bad. The A20 was backed up with traffic, the Leeds Road was closed and the Sutton Road had roadworks at the Wheatsheaf that backed up to Aldi! To get out was a nightmare, Kingswood was like trying to leave an island. I couldn't... Continue reading
    Operation brock causes no end of disruption for residents. We live in Kingswood and are continually impacted by brock! It makes it difficult to visit family in Ashford, travelling out the A20 side of the village to Harrietsham and the country roads become rat runs. The brock implementation at the start of the school hoildays was particularly bad. The A20 was backed up with traffic, the Leeds Road was closed and the Sutton Road had roadworks at the Wheatsheaf that backed up to Aldi! To get out was a nightmare, Kingswood was like trying to leave an island. I couldn't visit my nan due to Caring Lane being used as a diversion, the road was blocked and drivers drive irate and erratic. To visit our allotment in Leeds should be a 5 minute journey, along with taking the children swimming at the Great Danes. We had to travel out along Broomfield Road with the hope it wasn't blocked with traffic from the Leeds Road or cutting out from the brock traffic. To come home it was quicker to come via Willington Street, making the journey 30 minutes! We could have skipped swimming but we had low water pressure at that time so going swimming meant we could also shower (the pressure was to low to feed hot water to our shower).

    Brock hasn't just arrived from, Brexit, we have had operation stack for years. The lorries need to be held off the roads and with facilities so they don't have to turn the road side in to a toilet. A suitable solution should be found, especially with all the additional houses being built adding to the traffic trying to get around.

  • Share Lenham Op Brock experiences on Facebook Share Lenham Op Brock experiences on Twitter Share Lenham Op Brock experiences on Linkedin Email Lenham Op Brock experiences link

    Lenham Op Brock experiences

    by Lenham Resident , almost 4 years ago
    I live in Lenham on the ‘A20 corridor’ utilised by traffic during Op Brock .


    We are now as a matter of course blighted by the traffic directed to use the A20. There is damage to the roadside furniture , rubbish and the air quality when the vehicles are slowly moving forward on the road is poor . The A20 is not motorway quality road and we then have to endure repairs and temporary traffic lights during the week. All of his results in horrendous traffic jams where local people cannot go about their normal routines . Traffic from Op... Continue reading
    I live in Lenham on the ‘A20 corridor’ utilised by traffic during Op Brock .


    We are now as a matter of course blighted by the traffic directed to use the A20. There is damage to the roadside furniture , rubbish and the air quality when the vehicles are slowly moving forward on the road is poor . The A20 is not motorway quality road and we then have to endure repairs and temporary traffic lights during the week. All of his results in horrendous traffic jams where local people cannot go about their normal routines . Traffic from Op Brock means journey times are increased with local residents having to rely on the goodwill of motorists to let us out of side roads or to turn across or join the A20. The displaced local traffic or those motorists trying to get round the congestion has resulted in the side roads and smaller roads being damaged by the increased traffic. Sometimes to get home from Maidstone we resort to travelling via Headcorn which is ridiculous.

    Emergency services are also caught up in these delays . Fuel supplies in local garages also become scarce during the high volumes of traffic diverted by Op Brock onto the A20.

    The signage at Junction 8 gives those tourists exiting to use the service area no pre warning they cannot then rejoin the M20 to continue their journey, the result is they either travel down the A20 to rejoin the road at Junction 9 or loop back via junction 7 . More often they choose the A20 corridor adding to local traffic congestion.

    On 26th July 2022 I emailed Toby Howe the tactical lead for the Kent Resilience Forum regarding comments made on television about the impact of Op Brock where he acknowledged disruption caused to freight drivers , local Folkestone / Dover residents and tourists and the need to resolve these issues. He made no mention of disruption to local residents along the A20 corridor. I made him aware of the issues for local A20 residents and damage to local lanes and the proposed Lenham Heathlands development adding to the A20 woes. He responded and stated Sat nav errors caused extra traffic and he was unaware of the Lenham Heathlands proposal which potentially will add 12000 vehicle movements daily on the A20. I still have the emails

    MBC has already spent £700,000 of local peoples money on promoting the Lenham Heathlands development and the head of the KRF has no knowledge of it . This is unbelievable incompetence on the part of both organisations. Lenham has already agreed a local plan to accept 1500 houses and yet local peoples voices are not being listened to.

    Op Brock has taken the levels of congestion on the A20 to the levels that we experienced before the completion of the M20. Our communities are suffering and something better needs to be done to prevent this situation becoming our new normal.


  • Share Unreasonable commute on Facebook Share Unreasonable commute on Twitter Share Unreasonable commute on Linkedin Email Unreasonable commute link

    Unreasonable commute

    by hs1986, almost 4 years ago
    I live in Chatham and commute to Ashford. Ordinarily, the commute is a fairly short distance and easy but since Operation Brock I now spend at least 1.5 hours on the commute. When the traffic has been particularly bad due to road closures it has taken me up to 2.5 hours just to get to work. My work office is moving to the other side of Ashford at the beginning of next year and as a result of Operation Brock, I will be forced to find new employment.
    I live in Chatham and commute to Ashford. Ordinarily, the commute is a fairly short distance and easy but since Operation Brock I now spend at least 1.5 hours on the commute. When the traffic has been particularly bad due to road closures it has taken me up to 2.5 hours just to get to work. My work office is moving to the other side of Ashford at the beginning of next year and as a result of Operation Brock, I will be forced to find new employment.
  • Share Marooned in our village. on Facebook Share Marooned in our village. on Twitter Share Marooned in our village. on Linkedin Email Marooned in our village. link

    Marooned in our village.

    by Kingswood Resident, almost 4 years ago
    The purpose of Operation Brock is to speed freight to Dover and I understand that. However no thought was given to those who actually live within the surrounding area. We are bombarded with heavy traffic trying to form a rat run totally blocking our narrow single track lanes, With all the road closures adding to our misery there have been occasions when we have felt totally marooned.

    My daughter lives at Ashford and I have been driving via Headcorn to get there !!!

    The purpose of Operation Brock is to speed freight to Dover and I understand that. However no thought was given to those who actually live within the surrounding area. We are bombarded with heavy traffic trying to form a rat run totally blocking our narrow single track lanes, With all the road closures adding to our misery there have been occasions when we have felt totally marooned.

    My daughter lives at Ashford and I have been driving via Headcorn to get there !!!

  • Share Port capacity on Facebook Share Port capacity on Twitter Share Port capacity on Linkedin Email Port capacity link

    Port capacity

    by M20driver, almost 4 years ago

    I have had to alter my child care arrangements, which previously saw me travel Maidstone to Ashford 2 days a week. I have now had to pay additional nursery fees as the travelling has just become too much and there is no end in sight for all this.

    On top of all this, we are having to endure roadworks to strengthen the central reservation so that can store the damn barrier! So even when Brock is stood down we are stuck with a partially closed motorway.

    The capacity of the port of Dover and the channel tunnel needs to be... Continue reading

    I have had to alter my child care arrangements, which previously saw me travel Maidstone to Ashford 2 days a week. I have now had to pay additional nursery fees as the travelling has just become too much and there is no end in sight for all this.

    On top of all this, we are having to endure roadworks to strengthen the central reservation so that can store the damn barrier! So even when Brock is stood down we are stuck with a partially closed motorway.

    The capacity of the port of Dover and the channel tunnel needs to be addressed, as it is these private entities that are disrupting the people of Kent with very little, if any, benefit.

    At the start of the school holidays, it was not possible to process the border checks quick enough to enable people to move through, which caused traffic backlogs. The government need to address how these checks are performed.

    When P&O decided to sack all of their staff, we endured weeks of misery on the roads due to the incompetence of a private company to run its business.

    We should be using other ports to alleviate some of the traffic coming via Kent and this needs to be organised by a central body responsible for managing cross channel freight post brexit.


  • Share Hugely impacting villages on Facebook Share Hugely impacting villages on Twitter Share Hugely impacting villages on Linkedin Email Hugely impacting villages link

    Hugely impacting villages

    by Julie, almost 4 years ago
    Living in Kingswood operation brock affects numerous villages. Lorries are using chegworth road and Broomfield road which causes mayhem as they block the lanes. I struggle to understand why junction 8 is the start of it. Why can't the lorries continue and park up in the lorry park
    Living in Kingswood operation brock affects numerous villages. Lorries are using chegworth road and Broomfield road which causes mayhem as they block the lanes. I struggle to understand why junction 8 is the start of it. Why can't the lorries continue and park up in the lorry park
  • Share Pain in the... on Facebook Share Pain in the... on Twitter Share Pain in the... on Linkedin Email Pain in the... link

    Pain in the...

    by Agh_opp_brock, almost 4 years ago

    Living close to the M20, in Penenden Heath, I'm directly impacted by Operation Brock on a daily basis, via either increased traffic in and around Maidstone, longer car journey's on my A249 commute or restricting access to large parts of the Kent coast & countryside at the weekends. This has gone on for far too long and a permanent solution is urgently required.

    Living close to the M20, in Penenden Heath, I'm directly impacted by Operation Brock on a daily basis, via either increased traffic in and around Maidstone, longer car journey's on my A249 commute or restricting access to large parts of the Kent coast & countryside at the weekends. This has gone on for far too long and a permanent solution is urgently required.

  • Share Operation Brock on Facebook Share Operation Brock on Twitter Share Operation Brock on Linkedin Email Operation Brock link

    Operation Brock

    by Steve, almost 4 years ago

    I live in a village off the A20 add it has added additional time and frustration during Brock Dont understand why this cant be resolved .

    the traffic coming passed our village is horrendous and everyone from the KCC to Highways dont really care or dont give a stuff about locals probably because they dont live here .

    I live in a village off the A20 add it has added additional time and frustration during Brock Dont understand why this cant be resolved .

    the traffic coming passed our village is horrendous and everyone from the KCC to Highways dont really care or dont give a stuff about locals probably because they dont live here .

  • Share Junction 8 Why? on Facebook Share Junction 8 Why? on Twitter Share Junction 8 Why? on Linkedin Email Junction 8 Why? link

    Junction 8 Why?

    by mk1million, almost 4 years ago
    I live in Lenham and I have to use Junction 8, I do not understand why they modify junction 8 in any way. The queuing traffic never gets back that far, you could leave 8 as a normal 3-lane intersection and make modifications after the junction. I have seen many close calls where lorries suddenly change lanes at the last minute to continue on down the motorway, it makes no sense to me whatsoever, change the junction back to normal and reopen the sliproad coastbound.
    I live in Lenham and I have to use Junction 8, I do not understand why they modify junction 8 in any way. The queuing traffic never gets back that far, you could leave 8 as a normal 3-lane intersection and make modifications after the junction. I have seen many close calls where lorries suddenly change lanes at the last minute to continue on down the motorway, it makes no sense to me whatsoever, change the junction back to normal and reopen the sliproad coastbound.