The £25m port facility was built to fit government plans but stands empty while new border strategy is delayed.

The number of people arriving at a UK port from France has more than halved after Brexit, a ferry firm has said.

A MOTHBALLED border crossing building – which has never been used – will drain almost £2m from Portsmouth taxpayers while it blights the city’s port as an empty ‘white elephant’.

Ports are seeking compensation for the facilities, which were meant to carry out the government's new post-Brexit checks but have been put on hold until the end of next year. / Ports across the country are threatening the government with legal action unless compensation is paid to cover the millions of pounds they've spent building new border control posts.

PORTSMOUTH’S newly built £25m, two-acre border control post has been dubbed a ‘white elephant’ by port bosses following an ‘appalling’ government U-turn.

Portsmouth City Council, which operates the Portsmouth International Port, is still footing the bill despite delayed customs checks. / Boris Johnson’s government has left Portsmouth’s local council holding the bag on a nearly £8 million loan it took out to build a giant warehouse to conduct post-Brexit border checks that may now never be used.

Portsmouth International Port said it was required by the Government to create the £25 million site which remains unused.

Shippers are “sleepwalking” towards the changeover of the UK’s customs infrastructure and need to “wake up” rather than seek to saddle HMRC with the blame for their failings, say freight specialists.

Portsmouth International Port will only get £17.1 out of £32m, meaning an essential live animal border control point cannot be built.

A live animal border control post needed due to Brexit will not be built at Portsmouth International Port.

Local council and MP add to calls for more funding for vital inspection post, without which UK’s livestock breeding industry may be at risk

Four ferry firms have landed government contracts worth a total of £77.6m to provide post-Brexit freight capacity.

New services provided to ease expected congestion at Kent ports

DfT has bought site that will be used for customs clearance and holding pen for lorries, Rachel Maclean confirms.

Businesses will discover details of customs regime after Brexit on Monday.

Reduction aims to alleviate congestion at Portsmouth as government contingency planning assumes 70% of lorries will not be ‘border-ready’.

The European Arrest Warrant will no longer be valid if the UK leaves the EU without a deal on 31 October.

Government must close loophole in law, says officer in charge of no-deal planning.

Ministers accused of 'fiddling the figures' to disguise chaos from HGVs being prevented from reaching the border in the first place.

Portsmouth and Dover have done what they can to prepare for no deal but say latest funding will make no difference

Gerald Vernon-Jackson dismisses £9m pledge, saying his council alone has spent £4m preparing the port.

The government has not spoken to French ports and has used satellite imagery to make "untested" assumptions for its no-deal Brexit plans for Portsmouth.

Town hall chiefs are ready to walk out on talks with Whitehall. / Emergency plans to tackle no-deal Brexit chaos at UK ports are so “very basic” transport chiefs stand accused of using Google Maps to draw them up.