UK borders Entry/Exit System (Image: PA)
Work is currently being carried out on the installation of the new EES at the in Kent.
The new system registers a travellers name and each time they cross an EU external border for both short-stay visa holders and visa exempt travellers.
Officially starting in November, the new way of travelling will mean a new digital border at three UK locations open to the French border checks for those who are embarking on cross-Channel journeys.
This will include the Port of Dover, the Eurostar at St Pancras and the terminal at Folkestone.
Registration at the border from UK residents and other non-EU countries will be made by having photographs taken and their fingerprints scanned.
UK borders Entry/Exit System (Image: PA)
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Certain sites around the have been secured in the event of the new EES causing gridlock.
The EES replaces passport stamping with biometric data including other checks for passengers entering and exiting the EU.
These sights were away from the main road network and could be used to ‘stack’ cars heading to the busy port with roughly 1.3 million cars annually.
According to a source at The Times, these stacking sites will be designed to be brought into and out of use at high speed.
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They could include fields with matting on them and will be for drivers waiting for a ferry crossing and will be reportedly stacked in lanes.
Border officials will then register passengers in each vehicle using tablets.
These stacking sites at are currently being ‘kept under review as a contingency plan,
Minister for migration and citizenship, Seema Malhotra stated these new stacking sites at Dover are being ‘kept under review as a contingency plan’.
She added: “We are continuing to work with the councils, the and our French counterparts to make sure we are as ready as possible to minimise the risk of long queues, particularly at peak travel times.”
Meanwhile, the government has pledged their support for preparation for EU border checks costing around £10.5 million for the upcoming EU digital border system.
However, council leaders in Kent have warned of a need for ‘urgent action’ to help reduce the possible disruption when these checks are officially introduced.
In a letter to government leaders from 14 councils in Kent and 12 district and borough councils urged the government to ‘recognise the severe risk of disruption’.
It read: “We also need you to support us in finding and funding new long-term, sustainable ways to manage cross Channel traffic, and to ensure that Kent has the infrastructure in place to ensure that ESS checks do not have a devastating impact.”