Storm Darragh: Holyhead port closure could impact Christmas shopping

Irish Exporters’ Simon McKeever expressed frustration: “The impact affects Ireland, the UK and even Wales.”

“From an Irish perspective it has an impact on the manufacturing sector because they are waiting for critical inputs, for the raw materials to be processed and sent back from the island.”

He said delays would also hit consumers, with trailers stranded in Holyhead and Dublin containing “a bit of everything”, from medicines to food.

“When it opens again (on Friday), my logistics people tell me we will have a great Christmas,” he said.

“If that’s not the case, and that goes into next week, and it’s about the additional volume of passengers that will be traveling in their vehicles on these ships, then we’re going to have a problem.”

Mr McKeever said the Welsh Government had been “extremely helpful” this week, but said both the Welsh and Irish Governments would need to intervene if there were further delays in reopening the port.

“I know they are active here as well,” he said, adding that “a higher level of coordination will be required if the port does not open on Friday afternoon.”