Courier Reveals The Reality Of Getting Through Customs In The UK
27 November 2018, 12:46
This Irish courier told James O'Brien what happens when he tries to get through customs in the UK.
Kahal in Limerick revealed that while his customs check in Dublin took just 10 minutes, on his arrival in Liverpool, he had to wait four hours to get through because his delivery was originally from the US.
And he suggested that it's only going to get worse once the UK leaves the Customs Union.
Speaking to James O'Brien, he said: "On the customs union, what exactly are the proposals?
"We know there will be a two year period where nothing's really going to change, but at some point, the UK will leave the customs union and nobody's been told what that actually is going to imply.
"I work in customs clearance and transport. Usually there's no customs clearance between Ireland and the UK, we're in a customs union, it's great.
"But every now and then, something a bit unusual crops up. This is something that happened to me a couple of weeks ago.
"I had to go as a courier on a delivery from Ireland to the UK. It was something under temporary import from the US, so there was some paperwork to do. It's nothing particularly difficult, it's pretty much a rubber-stamping exercise, but it's got to be done.
"It took me 10 minutes to do it in Dublin Port - and most of that time was waiting for the customs union to come back from the bathroom.
"I got to Liverpool and it took me four hours.
"That's one truck off one boat. We were the only truck there that morning. Four hours.
"At some point, the customs union is going to end and at that point, every single truck is going to need this paperwork. Four hours."
James joked: "No, we've got a technological solution. Iain Duncan Smith said so. And Iain Duncan Smith knows what he's talking about. Look at how well Universal Credit is going."
