A county councillor has said not testing all lorry drivers entering ports for the coronavirus could risk making Kent the "frontline" for the disease.

Ida Linfield (Lib) says they should not be allowed to travel all over the UK without any form of check on their health.

It comes after the government suggested freight drivers would be exempt from a 14-day quarantine.

New measures will apply to the majority of travellers arriving in the UK at ports and airports, starting next month.

Cllr Linfield, who represents Canterbury City South, said she finds it "incredible" lorry drivers are not being routinely tested.

"On the news you see asylum seekers having their temperatures checked as soon as they set foot in Dover but nothing at all is being done to test lorry drivers in any way," she said.

"Nor is it the Government’s intention to do anything in the future. In fact it seems that lorry drivers only have to provide an address.

"Surely, to ensure that ‘track and trace’ will work, a simple system should be put in place to either test or at least take the temperature of someone who travels all over Europe before entering Kent?"

This comes after Business Secretary Alok Sharma said at the daily press conference on Sunday lorry drivers could be exempt from the quarantine.

"I recognise that the quarantining measures will put restrictions on business people being able to travel," he said.

"We will be setting out shortly the exemptions.

"One of the exemptions we have talked about is people who are bringing freight in, so freight drivers."

According to Cllr Linfield, there were about 10,000 Channel traffic crossing each day - the majority being essential freight.

Watch: Calls for lorry drivers to be tested for coronavirus to protect Kent

A quarantine will be enforced on most travellers arriving in the UK next month in plans unveiled last week.

But it could exclude some critical professions including lorry drivers and scientists.

A spokesperson for the Port of Dover said the latest information on travel measures and advice is on its website - but did not comment on lorry drivers being tested.

It states on the website: "As the people tasked with keeping trade flowing, we have planned across the business to ensure that we can look after our customers, the nation and its trade."

Enhanced cleaning regimes and dedicated isolation rooms to look after suspected cases have been implemented.

Dover MP Natalie Elphicke has been approached for comment.

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