News

Portsmouth Port has defended its decision to impose a £6 charge on drivers who park for more than eight hours, saying tractors are clogging up the port when there is a truckstop nearby. Drivers had contacted CM to say the charge was one more cost that subcontractors waiting to collect containers could not afford. Edward Sullivan, a subbie who frequently collects containers from Portsmouth, says the £6 levy after eight hours was not  fair when a driver's rest time was nine hours.

"It looks like [the port is] trying to get rid of lorries totally, when all we're doing is waiting for the ferries to come in to collect a container." He adds that the port's leaflet on parking charges states that vehicles will only be charged after 24 hours: "So how come they are now charging us after eight? I work at Portsmouth five days a week and this will cost me £30 a week, which I can ill-afford. It's not like there's anywhere else I can go."

But a spokeswoman for Portsmouth Port insists that drivers should go to the Walton Road truckstop if they have to wait for several hours for the next ferry to come in. "The area they are parking in is designed for those waiting for a ferry to come in in the next couple of hours. It's not a long-term parking area and unaccompanied trucks are being left in the port, creating congestion." The spokeswoman adds that if a ferry is delayed then the situation may be different, but in  general if a driver is expecting to park up for nine hours' rest they should go to the truckstop rather than wait in the port.