A Kent MP has called for a rethink as major routes around the county remain gridlocked for a sixth successive day due to cross-Channel delays.

Today, thousands of lorries are still queuing on the M20 in Operation Brock and Dover TAP on the A20, the A2 Jubilee Way in Dover is shut so HGVs cannot jump the queue and the Roundhill Tunnel near Folkestone was closed due to the congestion – and there's heavy traffic on the M2 at Brenley Corner, near Faversham.

Ashford's MP Damian Green says changes need to be made to Operation Brock after Kent was “plunged back into the worst days of Operation Stack”.

The traffic management plan – and its controversial concrete barrier – is meant to allow traffic to flow in both directions between Junctions 8 and 9 of the M20 when lorries need to be held.

Yet, much to the outrage of drivers, the 14-mile stretch from Leeds Castle to Ashford was closed between Friday and Sunday and again yesterday, only opening in the early hours of today – to ease congestion around Dover. It has been closed again this morning.

Despite coming in for a barrage of criticism from frustrated motorists, the scheme was praised by Toby Howe, Kent County Council’s senior highways manager.

He said the system had “proved its worth” – a statement Mr Green says has only increased the anger among his constituents.

“What we need is to make Brock work,” Mr Green told KentOnline. “We have established that up until now it does work, even in times of stress because the motorway is kept open.

“Once you close the motorway it makes it impossible so the Kent Resilience Forum (KRF) needs to look at what changes need to happen so Brock can cope with what is a very unusual situation where more than half of the freight carrying capacity at Dover has disappeared in one time.

“At times over the past week we have been plunged back into the worst days of Operation Stack, with the M20 closed completely between Junctions 8 and 9.”

The knock-on impact of Operation Brock and other measures to deal with the port-bound traffic has impacted routes across the county.

Today, there are queues in Folkestone, where roads have been gridlocked following the tunnel closure, leading to the cancellation of some Stagecoach bus services.

Peter Phillips, who manages the town's Sprucer project, said: "It's absolute chaos. The Roundhill Tunnel has been closed so all the roads are blocked. It's madness. Cars are honking their horns but there is no where to go."

The A20 in Maidstone was clogged up yesterday afternoon and evening, with vehicles avoiding the M20.

And drivers using the coastbound M2 were delayed yesterday for the same reason.

The KRF, which is in charge of emergency planning in Kent, says “several issues coincided to create a significant backlog of port-bound freight traffic”.

Mr Howe described snow at the end of last week, storm damage to a DFDS ferry, an influx of people getting away for Easter and P&O not operating as a “perfect storm”.

Mr Green added: “I accept this is a very unusual situation but I want to make sure this is a unique situation so it doesn’t happen again because there will be problems again at Dover or at the tunnel.

“What can be done differently? Maybe diverting traffic earlier, trying to keep lorries somewhere else so they’re not piling up on the M20.

“What has happened over the past week has been clearly unsatisfactory and we should make every effort to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“When Brock works, it is much better, but in this case it didn’t when we have all been promised it should.

“I don’t want to replace Brock, I want it to work.”

At the weekend, the Sevington Inland Border Facility next to Junction 10a was pushed into use as a holding area for trucks.

But the former Manston Airport in Thanet, which has previously been used to hold 4,000 lorries, is no longer available.

The site was effectively decommissioned in March last year after the Department for Transport said it was no longer required as part of its Brexit contingency plans.

In July, Mr Howe said: “While there is no direct replacement for the 4,000 spaces at Manston, there are a number of options at the KRF’s disposal that would enable many HGVs to be safely held in Kent.”

When asked about Manston this week, Mr Green said: “It’s only an option if you can set up all the things you need around it which includes routes to take lorries from it as ferries become available.

“Everyone agreed last time it was tried that trying to get the lorries from Manston to the coast is a major exercise which does cause disruption.”

Reflecting on the last few days, he added: “Brock was meant to relieve us of the chaos of Stack.

“Irritations we can cope with. Chaos is not acceptable.”

More: FOUR M20 lanes have now been shut as bosses bring in 'Brock Zero'