The UK government spent at least £100 million in taxpayers’ money on Brexit border inspection facilities that were never fully used, newly released figures reveal.
According to The Guardian, information obtained from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) shows millions were spent building and closing border checkpoints after the Conservative government scaled back planned inspections of goods arriving from the European Union.
Five of seven inland border facilities in England and Wales never became operational.
The abandoned projects include a proposed site near Dover, which cost £28 million despite remaining an undeveloped field.
A Birmingham facility cost £17 million, including £6 million in closure costs, while another £20 million was spent on sites in Warrington and Ebbsfleet.
Meanwhile, Portsmouth port spent £23 million building a border inspection post that now handles an average of just two trailer checks daily, compared with the 80 originally expected.
The UK’s main Brexit border facility at Sevington, Kent, has also cost millions in construction and operating expenses.
Port authorities are now seeking government compensation for facilities that could become redundant under a new UK-EU agreement.
