After a weekend of Folkestone road and rail chaos, Lib Dem Euro MP Catherine Bearder is demanding answers to what plans are in place to stop this now regular gridlock.

Phases 1 and 2 of Operation Stack were put in place over the weekend and Eurostar services remain suspended after more than 2000 people got caught in the Channel Tunnel on Friday night due to train failures.

The reopening of Calais following bad weather has seen the situation ease, but Phase 2 of Operation Stack was still in place on Sunday afternoon, with lorries being parked on the M20 between junctions 8 and 9.

South East Region MEP Catherine Bearder said: "I will be contacting the operators of Eurostar to get a full report and to find what evacuation plans they have and how they train their staff to cope in emergencies. Clearly what happened on Friday was unacceptable and must not happen again".

Mr Boarder was critical of he gridlock caused by Operation Stack which parks lorries on sections of the M20 when the Channel Tunnel is forced to close.

Ms Bearder said: "I know that money has come from the EU to the south East region to help with the major transport routes that go through the region, and yet we are still having regular gridlock across the county when Operation Stack is implemented."

"The design of this is meant for unusual emergencies, and yet it seems that it is now happening on a regular basis; we cannot have our major trunk routes turned into car parks on a regular basis."

"I will be contacting the EU Commissioner for Transport, the government office of the South East and Kent County Council to find out what has happened to the EU money and what plans they have to make Operation Stack a thing of the past.

"The people of Kent and those travelling through it deserve better from the people that are meant to be operating the transport system".