Paul Peggs has finally returned home. The end of a mission between France and the United Kingdom was more torture than expected. This British road carrier transported the sails of boats to the south of France, the “third voyage after Brexit”, certainly recorded on 31 December 2020. On Thursday 4 March, she was preparing to take the ferry to Ouistreham. “Unfortunately, my customs documents were incorrect,” the driver said, annoyed. “The British authorities did not allow me to cross at first. And the French agents realized that there was a problem without knowing what exactly it was. “
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Under these conditions, it was impossible to expect a hug before dark. “I arrived late on Thursday. I should have slept in my van ”. Small blue trucks became a regular figure in the port area in the following days. “Nothing was decided until the weekend. It was not until Monday that they determined the problem. But it took so much time to re-prepare the documents. I was released on wednesday (Editor’s note: 10 March) afternoon. About six days there. When contacted, port officials were not able to immediately give an official response.
Caught off guard the first night, Paul Peggs understood that he would have to manage, given the ambiguity of his situation. But difficult, in Kovid’s time, to face such troubles. “I got the first hotel for two days with nothing to eat. Luckily, I managed to order pizza. Then there was a microwave in another residence. The rest of the time, I used to go to cold food in the supermarket. At the beginning of March in Normandy the chili was taking a long time to be comforted by some hot beverages. “There was no coffee machine at the port,” he said.
Pandemic doesn’t make things easy
Particularly unpleasant concerns for this opponent of Brexit, “which has caused a lot of problems”. To listen to Britton, the organization around these new formalities also leaves something to be desired: “In my opinion, getting out of this type of situation does not help much. There are not enough Customs officers. And really no advice to help you in England ”. Even though Paul Peggs acknowledged that the epidemic prohibits devices at the border.
Carrier says he is “angry with the British government”. As a result of the 2016 referendum, which had Brexit, he emphasized the lack of officers, taking the example of another driver who was a victim of administrative difficulties at customs. “I think it must be a lot.” On his first post-Brexit trip, Paul had already taken “fifteen hours” to get his documents.
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Such adventures are difficult to determine, which come together with waiting due to the management of the flow. “Last time, I returned to England via Eurotunline. There were only two open lines for trucks. It was too long, ”testifies to the transport of marine equipment. The French ports worked ahead of the final exit from Great Britain to prepare on D-Day. In early January we followed Ouestreham following the arrival of the first post-Brexit ferry. Some drivers have already accepted “half an hour on both sides of the channel”. Liquidity of formality and control is a major challenge. By then, Paul Peggs says he will think twice before bringing goods back from his country again.
