A £30 million investment for ports from the government has been announced, alongside the existing £9 million of funding.

The Department for Transport is requesting that ports across England bid for a share of £10 million, as part of the Port Infrastructure Resilience and Connectivity (PIRC) competition. This will help deliver upgrades to ports, which will enhance capacity and maintain trade flow post-Brexit.

In addition, the government is providing £5 million to four Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) in areas with key freight ports. This will help them to build infrastructure improvements to minimise any potential traffic disruption at the border after the 31st October.

£15 million will go towards longer-term projects aimed at boosting road and rail links to ports and ensuring freight can be transported faster.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

"We are leaving the EU on 31 October and we will be prepared whatever the circumstances. As the UK continues to develop as an outward-facing global trading nation ready for a post-Brexit world, the resilience of our trading hubs is more critical than ever before. This £30 million investment supports our ports in their work to boost capacity and efficiency, ensuring they’re ready for Brexit and a successful future."

The funding comes as part of the government’s £2.1 billion investment to step-up the country’s preparations for leaving the EU.

The PIRC competition will be open until the 6th September. Successful bidders will then be given up to £1 million each to deliver infrastructure improvements, which may include HGV parking, container storage space or improving traffic systems to ensure the free flow of freight vehicles.

The £5 million for key LRFs is targeted specifically at delivering infrastructure improvements  to manage road traffic around maritime ports with important trade routes with the EU.