Dover (United Kingdom) (AFP)

"We will be better outside!": Maureen Martin rejoices before the British farewell to European rules, like many inhabitants of the English port of Dover who had voted mostly for Brexit.

But as the shock approaches, others do not hide their nervousness.

"It will take a while, but we should never have (joined the EU) originally," said Maureen Martin.

Asked by AFP on what will result from the historic break, the retiree welcomes, behind her sunglasses, to finally be able to "govern ourselves and be our own leaders".

At 11:00 p.m. local time and GMT on Thursday, the Brexit voted in 2016 will become a reality for the country, which officially left the European Union on January 31 but with a transition period to cushion the shock.

The signing at the last minute of a free trade agreement with the EU makes it possible to avoid quotas and customs duties which would have risked creating chaos at the border and in particular at Dover, the main cross-Channel port on the English side.

But exporters will now have to file customs declarations and the government has warned that likely disruptions are to be expected.

Some have taken the lead, such as Matt Smith, managing director of a fresh produce haulage company, HSF Logistics, based in the north of England.

On New Year's Eve, he sends 15 loads to the continent in anticipation of the changes.

As a precaution, he will wait until next week before any new shipment of goods.

"It has been extremely busy as you can imagine, but so far it's going smoothly," he told AFP in an email.

As for the new formalities, "we are not too sure, to tell the truth, it seems to be a puzzle", he confides, predicting delays "at one time or another".

Ernie Monk, retired, is not worried.

While normally up to 10,000 trucks pass through the city every day, he does not "see why" the traffic should stop, even predicting an increase "if all goes well".

- "Stressful" -

His optimism is far from unanimous, however, even though 62% of the inhabitants of Dover voted in favor of Brexit in 2016.

"I'm a little nervous, as a local, because obviously we have already had disruptions here", worries Kirk Hugh, who works in IT.

Last week, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the city got a glimpse of the traffic jams and disruptions Brexit could create.

Several thousand heavy goods vehicles found themselves completely stranded around the city during two days of total closure of the French border, due to the discovery of a new strain of the virus that was more contagious according to British health authorities.

“My wife works in Ashford and getting out and back from Dover can be a total nightmare sometimes, and that's probably what lies ahead,” Kirk sighs under his multicolored beanie.

He fears "a few weeks of transition".

For now, trucks are moving smoothly in Dover and locals have taken advantage of the sunny day to stroll along the waterfront.

"I think it's going to be very stressful for everyone, because it's the unknown and people don't know what's going to change," says Aaron Kinnear, in front of brave people who take a dip, despite the cold .

And to add: "but I have the hope that in the end we will all remain united and get out of it, it will be fine… I hope!"

About thirty kilometers away, at the old Manston airport, where thousands of trucks had accumulated last week with the closure of the French border, dozens of heavy goods vehicles are waiting.

Their drivers are waiting to get tested before they can board at Dover, where the last ferry leaves for France at 8:40 p.m. GMT, to arrive shortly before the new rules come into force, at midnight mainland time.

On the other side of the Channel, in Calais, the president of the port Jean-Marc Puissesseau displays his serenity, emphasizing investments and preparations: "If each road carrier respects customs declarations, there is no reason for that it is difficult. "

© 2020 AFP