'Disastrous' port closure may delay Christmas presents

There are fears the closure of Holyhead Port to ferry traffic will affect stocks for Christmas shopping and delay deliveries.

It will stay shut until at least Thursday, 19 December due to damage caused during Storm Darragh, when 94mph gusts battered large parts of the UK.

It comes at one of the busiest trading periods between the Republic of Ireland and the UK, with passenger numbers also expected to swell next week as families begin travelling for the Christmas holiday.

There are still about 2,900 properties without power in Wales, National Grid said, with Scottish Power reporting all of their properties' power has been restored.

It had previously been hoped the port would be back open by the afternoon of Friday, 13 December.

Holyhead Port also handles passenger traffic services operated by both Stena Line and Irish Ferries.

Stena Line Ports confirmed that it remains closed to all maritime traffic while checks on the extent of the damage continue.

A spokesperson for Irish Ferries said the damage to port infrastructure had not been caused by one of their vessels.

They added: "Irish Ferries continues to liaise closely with customers booked to travel on the route in making alternative arrangements."

Ger Hyland, president of the Irish Road Haulage Association, said: "We're really going to struggle to get goods delivered to both the high street and for internet shopping.

"It is my reckoning that it's not going to be delivered in time."

He described the situation as "disastrous" stating that freight is currently "lying idle" at both Holyhead and Dublin ports, with alternative routes fully booked.

Mr Hyland expressed concerns that many last-minute goods, including books, fragrances, and Christmas produce, may not reach shelves in time for Christmas, leaving it worthless in January.

He also noted a shortage of drivers, with around one in five returning to their home countries in Eastern Europe. This means that freight will now need to be transported by other workers.

Simon McKeever of Irish Exporters said he was frustrated: "The impact is affecting Ireland and the UK, and indeed Wales.

"From an Irish point of view it's impacting manufacturing business because they're waiting for critical inputs, the raw materials to turn it and send it back off the island."

He said delays would also hit consumers, with the trailers stuck in Holyhead and Dublin containing "a bit of everything" from pharmaceuticals to foods.

"If it reopens [on Friday], my logistics members are telling me we will have a great Christmas," he said.

"If it's not, and this goes into next week, and it goes into the additional amounts of passenger volumes that will be on with their vehicles on those vessels, then we're going to have a problem."

Mr McKeever said the Welsh government had been "extremely helpful" this week, but said both Welsh and Irish government would need to intervene if there are further delays reopening the port.

"I know they are active in this as well," he said, adding that "there's a higher level of coordination that will be required if the port doesn't open" on Friday afternoon.