Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure vehicles sent to the Border Control Post at Sevington (a) go there directly and (b) do not unload their contents en route.

The risk of legitimate commercial loads not attending Sevington is mitigated by robust, data-backed enforcement options.

Consignments called to Sevington for an inspection will have completed the necessary customs declarations and pre-notifications. These goods will not be legally cleared for sale or use within the UK until they have attended and been cleared at the Border Control Post (BCP).

Where the BCP has concerns, for example due to non-attendance, there are existing robust provisions for contacting the person responsible for the load, if it is then not possible for the goods to proceed to the BCP then the goods to be referred for inland controls by the local authority, enforceable through the data collected through those customs declarations and pre-notification.

Meanwhile, vehicles suspected to be carrying illegal imports (e.g. those for which customs declarations and pre-notification have not been made or suspected to have been made in bad faith) will continue to be stopped and dealt with by Border Force at the point of entry to the UK, not sent to the BCP.