New post-Brexit customs checks introduced on January 1 appear to have been rolled out seamlessly with minimal disruption, Richard Ballantyne, chief executive of the British Ports Association, declared. There had been concerns about the rule changes resulting in lorries being turned away at ports such as Folkestone and Dover - but Mr Ballantyne suggested these were unfounded.

       He told the Daily Telegraph: “Although it has been a fairly quiet start to the year in terms of traffic, traders appear to be following the new rules and the systems seem to be working.”

       Mr Ballantyne explained that “officials appear to be cautiously optimistic about the new arrangements” although there were “some isolated instances of minor errors with customs paperwork”.

       Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) HMRC said the new controls were “rolled out in line with our expectations and plans”.

       Nevertheless, James Sibley of the Federation of Small Businesses suggested problems could still emerge.

       He said: “We would expect problems to start being reported as the month goes on really, as X supplier from the EU got the paperwork wrong, or they’re not able to provide the right data.”

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