HAULIERS must be ready to follow new rules for Brexit next year, port bosses have warned, or face being "turned away" to avoid leaving Portsmouth "overrun".

Members of Hampshire’s Local Resilience Forum (LRF) revealed they are ‘confident’ in preparations laid out to prevent tailbacks along the M275 into Portsmouth International Port from January 1, but those plans must be adhered to.

To minimise delays at the port if lorries don’t have the correct documentation two checkpoints have been established en route.

The first will be positioned along the A31 between Winchester and Alresford to pick up vehicles travelling from London. The site will be capable of checking up to 235 lorries and signs along the M25 will ask drivers to travel along the M3 to get there.

A second will be set up in the sliproad of the M275 for vehicles that have not passed through the A31.

Any vehicles from checkpoint two that need time to organise the correct documents will be directed to the nearby lorry park at Tipner West, which can hold 40 lorries.

Neil Odin, chairman of the LRF strategic co-ordinating group, said it was in the "best interest" of hauliers to stick to the rules.

He said: "If Tipner becomes overrun we will simply turn them away and they will have to drive up to the first checkpoint again. For many of the larger hauliers it won’t be a problem, it’s in their interest to get it right.

"But the smaller ones less may have less resources to do it this way.

"We held a meeting with 50 hauliers last week to make sure they understand what rules would be in place. I am confident they know they have got to be ready."

Other changes, such as a reduced speed limit along the M275 to 40 miles per hour will be put in place to mitigate potential issues.

The plans come as part of Operation Transmission – a scheme to avoid congestion at the port post-Brexit.

Port director Mike Sellers, also believed the government’s border operating model, which will mean the system for the majority of imports won’t change until July, will aid this.

He added: "In regard to exports we are grateful to the local resilience forum for the way they have created this plan."

It is planned the checkpoints will be a temporary until companies become used to the new requirements.

The government has pledged £2.5m to Operation Transmission, which will allow it to run for six weeks.

However, the LRF said it will ‘continue to put pressure’ on government if it needs to run beyond that – expecting a total of £3.8m if it lasts 12 weeks.