The Freight Transport Association has warned there is a danger of Operation Stack being triggered in Kent, if French border authorities do not address the backlogs which occurred at Dover this weekend.
Holidaymakers and freight lorry drivers endured queues of up to 14 hours to embark ferries.
Natalie Chapman, head of policy for London and the south east for the Freight Transport Association, said that freight tends to pass during midweek rather than at the weekend, but warned that if the problems continued over the coming days then imports and exports of fresh produce could be affected.
“But we are particularly concerned about what could happen to freight by Thursday. Hopefully the French authorities will have got their act together by then or we could see the return of Operation Stack.”
For highly perishable fresh produce, Chapman said a scheme was created to prioritise freight which could go off during a prolonged queue.
“We want government to look at whether that should be introduced again,” she said, adding that it would be disappointing if delays occurred at a time when British companies had a chance to increase exports due to weak sterling.