While France has suspended travel from the United Kingdom, nearly a thousand truck drivers are currently stuck across the Channel, says Florence Berthelot, general delegate of the National Road Transport Federation,  

INTERVIEW

Are they going to have to spend Christmas stuck in the UK?

After the 48-hour suspension of travel from the United Kingdom due to the appearance of a more contagious variant of Covid-19, a large number of French truck drivers are currently stuck across the Channel, and fear they will not be able to be home in time for the holidays.

"We estimate them at around a thousand", specifies on Europe 1 Florence Berthelot, general delegate of the National Federation of Road Transport (FNTR), alerting to the difficult conditions in which these drivers await. 

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"Some are desperate and cry on the phone", says Florence Berthelot, according to whom these drivers "do not have a lot of information".

Their conditions "are extremely precarious," she said.

"Some are in car parks where there are four toilets for thousands of drivers present, all food shops are closed, restaurants too, since the south of England is in strict containment".

Especially since according to information from the FNTR, "nothing has been planned" in terms of distribution of food, water, or basic necessities. 

"The goal is to get them in"

On the side of the French drivers, therefore reign "discouragement, fatigue, the concern to know if they will be able to return for Christmas", insists Florence Berthelot, who asks "the repatriation of our drivers on the French territory". 

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"We understand the necessary caution", she underlines, proposing that the anti-covid tests be carried out on arrival in France, and not in the United Kingdom, because of the high cost of PCR tests and the long delays waiting ". And anyway, concludes Florence Berthelot," the goal is to get them in ".