Ports across the country are threatening the government with legal action unless compensation is paid to cover the millions of pounds they've spent building new border control posts. The posts, due to be up and running this month, were designed to carry out post-Brexit physical checks on imports of plant and animal products from the EU - a measure that was to come into force from 1 July. But they may now never be used as planned.
At the end of April, the UK government announced the controls would be put on hold until at least the end of next year amid concerns about the cost of living crisis. Portsmouth is the UK's second busiest cross-Channel port, and every year a quarter of a million lorries pass through carrying goods to and from Europe. Its £25m border control post was finished on time for the July deadline and is ready to go - but the state-of-the-art new facility is standing empty.
With a government review under way looking at using technology to create a digital border system for most goods in future, the port believes the building may end up largely redundant.
Source: news.sky.com