There seems to be a strong consensus that the snow we had last week was the worst that anyone can remember at this stage of the winter. In addition to this we also had some very low temperatures. Last Friday evening when I was driving between my surgeries in Dymchurch and Hythe the temperature gauge showed that it was minus 10 degrees outside of the car. I would like to thank all those who braved the weather to help open up and prepare the venues for my surgeries and also to make their appointments. Hopefully next time the conditions will be a little easier.
The bad weather brought some of the familiar problems on the road and rail network with delays and the imposition of Operation Stack. Some of the villages in the North Downs had terrible problems with road access, with Hastingleigh in particular being cut off. Some lessons seem to have been learned from the heavy snow last winter. There has been investment to make sure that councils have the supplies of road grit that they need. In Kent the gritters were out two or three times a day on all the major routes and also worked through the night.
At a recent meeting with Eurostar they confirmed to me that they have changed their policy for helping passengers complete their journey when there are disruptions. Instead, of passengers being held on trains at the Eurotunnel sidings at Cheriton, often for a number of hours, they are instead taken to Ashford station. I will also be meeting later this week, along with a number of Kent MPs, with Charles Horton the Managing Director of Southeastern trains to discuss their response to the problems caused by the bad weather and also the recent increases in rail fares on their routes.
There remains though the ongoing problem of Operation Stack, the disruption it causes and the expense to the police in enforcing it. I believe that we have to look seriously at ways in which we can minimise its disruption and to get the lorries moving again as soon as possible when the restrictions are lifted. This will require agreement between the ferry companies, Port of Dover, and the police and highways agencies, but things cannot carry on as they are. I remain convinced as well that a charging system should be introduced for heavy goods vehicles for use of our major routes so that some financial compensation is paid by foreign hauliers for the costs the British taxpayer has to pick up for Operation Stack and the mess too many lorries leave behind after parking up for the night.
I know that the Department for Transport has been looking actively since the election at how such a scheme could be introduced and I will continue to press for them to do this. This will be important not just in the winter months, but particularly when there is heavy usage of the M20 and M2.