Operation Brock deployment dates
Case reference FOI2026/01151
Received 20 July 2026
Published 11 October 2026
Request
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to request information relating to Operation Brock on the M20. Please provide a list of every period during which Operation Brock was deployed between 1 January 2020 and the date this request is processed.
For each deployment, please include:
* The date and time Operation Brock became operational.
* The date and time Operation Brock was stood down.
* The section of motorway affected (including junction numbers).
* Which traffic management arrangement was used (for example, contraflow, coastbound freight queue or any other configuration).
* The reason for the deployment (for example, cross-Channel disruption, industrial action, bad weather or other cause). If held, I would also be grateful for any reports or summary data analysing the impact of Operation Brock on road safety or collision rates.
Response
Our Response:
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The date and time Operation Brock became operational.
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The date and time Operation Brock was stood down.
Please find the requested data attached confirming that date and time Operation Brock became operational and was stood down.
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The section of motorway affected (including junction numbers). The section of motorway affected by each deployment of Brock is junctions 8 to 9 of the M20.
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The section of motorway affected (including junction numbers). The section of motorway affected by each deployment of Brock is junctions 8 to 9 of the M20.
The first stage is Active – Free-flow. In this configuration the coastbound carriageway has the traffic management installed to be ready to hold freight traffic, but freight is allowed to freely pass through it. The London bound carriageway is permanently configured in a contraflow setting with two lanes running coastbound and two lanes running London bound.
The second stage is Active with control. In this configuration, the freight traffic is being controlled within the traffic management, queued, and released when there is sufficient capacity on the A20 to accommodate it. The London bound carriageway remains split in a contraflow with two lanes running coastbound and two lanes running London bound.
The Third stage is Brock – Charlie. In this configuration the freight holding capacity has been exceeded in the coastbound holding area and the London bound contraflow system is closed to coastbound traffic to house additional freight. All coastbound traffic is diverted via local authority roads. London bound traffic remains able to use the M20.
Please find the requested data attached confirming the configuration of the traffic management arrangement.
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The reason for the deployment (for example, cross-Channel disruption, industrial action, bad weather or other cause).
While National Highways are the agency that deploy and manage Operation Brock whilst it is in place on the M20, we are not the principal decision maker for its need or deployment. National Highways are a member of the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF) and they are the body which is responsible for decision making around Brock’s deployment.
If held, I would also be grateful for any reports or summary data analysing the impact of Operation Brock on road safety or collision rates.
When Brock is deployed, we monitor for incidents that occur within the footprint and proximity of the footprint, but we do not hold Brock specific data.
Advice and Assistance
We do not hold the data for when Brock went in and out of control before 2024.
The information you requested regarding the reasons for deployment of Brock is owned by the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum and, if you have not already done so, you may wish to contact them. Their website confirms that enquiries can be directed to the Kent Resilience Team hosted at; Kent Fire and Rescue Service HQ, Straw Mill Hill, Tovil, Maidstone ME15 6XB, or via email to KRF@kent.fire-uk.org.
STATS19 data refers to the official road traffic collision and casualty dataset collected by police forces across Great Britain and managed by the Department for Transport (DfT). It records details on personal injury collisions that occur on public highways, including the circumstances of the crash, the vehicles and drivers involved, and any resulting casualties. This data is publicly available, and you can refer to it here.
Documents
This is National Highways' response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.