A new lorry park will significantly reduce traffic disruption in Kent and on the M20 when it opens in summer 2017, it is hoped.

The Stanford West site will provide space for around 3,600 lorries whenever Operation Stack is used to help keep the M20 moving.

The proposed site is west of the M20 junction 11 at Stanford West, with Balfour Beatty expected to begin work on the £250 million development as soon as possible.

Operation Stack is a procedure where lorries are parked or ‘stacked’ down opposing lanes of the M20 whenever cross-channel services are disrupted.

It was used for a record 32 days in 2015 but it is “only ever used as a last resort”, according to transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin.

Announcing the new park, Mr McLoughlin said: “The new lorry area by the M20 will deliver better journeys for drivers and will not only support the region’s economy but also businesses as far away as Scotland that rely on the M20 to access the Port of Dover and the Channel Tunnel.”