WINCHESTER MP Steve Brine has pressed the Government over post-Brexit problems on county roads.

He raised the issue of delays at the ports which prompted the county council to revamp the A31 between Winchester and Alresford should there be a backlog of lorries heading for Portsmouth.

During a House of Commons session, Mr Brine, the independent former-Tory MP for Winchester, asked Mr Gove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what preparations and investment had been made in Portsmouth and Hampshire to ensure supply chains remained intact.

He said that concerns had been raised by his constituents – particularly about lorries being parked on the M27 and A31 roads due to increased Customs checks.

Whether Portsmouth will be able to cope with the additional burden should new border checks create backlogs in ports post-Brexit has been a long-standing concern.

In response to Mr Brine’s question, Mr Gove said: ‘My honourable friend makes a very important point. Portsmouth is one of our most important ports. It is important for a host of reasons – for the commercial life of this nation, for access to medical supplies and, of course, for access to our Crown Dependencies and the Channel Islands.

‘It is the case that we need to work closely with the local resilience forum in Hampshire to ensure that it understands what our modelling assumptions are and take appropriate steps.

‘I know that it is the case that both the Secretary of State for Transport and the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have been in touch with the LRF recently, but obviously more work needs to be done.’

Currently the UK is due to leave the European Union on 31 October, unless an extension is requested and granted.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been consistently adamant that Brexit will take place at the end of next month.