Metal mountain of Norfolk: Hundreds are stored in a field near Felixstowe because of congestion caused by the global shipping crisis, and the shortage of HGV drivers.

  • Large pile of empty steel containers measuring 350ft, being stored at ex-airfield off A140 near Eye in Suffolk
  • Felixstowe Port claimed it doesn’t know anything about this metal mountain and the landowner declined to comment 
  • MailOnline sources claimed that containers were ‘overflowing Felixstowe’ and had been affected by congestion

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A 60-foot-high shipping container tower was seen in Norfolk, as Felixstowe struggles to cope with congestion caused both by a shortage in lorry drivers and the global cargo crisis. 

Hundreds of the empty steel containers stretching for 350 feet are being stored on a former airfield off the A140 near Eye, Suffolk, just 26 miles from Britain’s biggest freight port. 

Felixstowe Port stated that it doesn’t have any information about the metal mountain. However, shipping companies and hauliers don’t have to inform the port about their container arrangements.

MailOnline was told by an industry source that it was overflow from Felixstowe. 

“There are not enough drivers to move empty containers, and lots of congestion all over the world because Covid – some ports are blocked in China and further afield and are just getting up to speed. 

“So it’s like a game involving lots of moving pieces. This is what has happened: These containers are now snarled up at Felixstowe. 

“Rather than leaving empty containers at ports and letting them clog up the port, what seems to have occurred is that a deal was made between the landowner and the port to temporarily store them there.   

Hundreds of the empty steel containers stretching for 350 feet are being stored on a former airfield off the A140 near Eye, Suffolk, just 26 miles from Britain's biggest freight port

A few miles from Britain’s largest freight port, hundreds of steel containers that measure 350 feet in length are stored on an ex-airfield off the A140 near Eye.

Felixstowe Port said it doesn't know anything about the metal mountain, as shipping companies and hauliers aren't under any obligation to tell the port about their container arrangements

Felixstowe Port stated that it doesn’t have any information about the metal mountain. Shipping companies and hauliers aren’t required to inform the port about their container arrangements

An aerial photo taken on October 30 showing huge piles of shipping containers that have gathered at the Suffolk port

A photo taken from above on October 30, showing massive piles of shipping containers gathered at the Suffolk port 

In recent months, Felixstowe has been experiencing severe congestion. 

It was discovered that container ships were forced to leave the port by a lack of drivers and labour shortages in October. This hampered efforts to unload or reload ships. 

The problem has been exacerbated by the increased Christmas demand. 

Pictures from the port on the Suffolk coast showed containers piled up over the gigantic dockside, as the British International Freight Association said it understood average ‘dwell times’ for cargo at the port have nearly doubled in the last two weeks, from five to 9.7 days.

But an industry source told MailOnline: 'Essentially it's overflow from Felixstowe. 'There are insufficient drivers to move empty containers and lots of congestion around the world because of Covid - some ports in China and further afield have been blocked and are just getting back up to speed'

MailOnline was told by an industry source that it is overflow from Felixstowe. “There are not enough drivers to move empty containers around the world and there is a lot of congestion because of Covid. Some ports in China and further afield are blocked and are just getting up to speed.”

The source added: 'So it's like a game of Jenga with lots of moving pieces. What's happened here is that these containers have got snarled up at Felixstowe'

The source added: ‘So it’s like a game of Jenga with lots of moving pieces. What has happened is that these containers were snarled at Felixstowe.

'Rather than leaving empty containers at the port and letting them clog it up further, what seems to have happened is a deal has been done with the landowner to temporarily store them there,' the source said

Source said that rather than leaving empty containers at ports and letting them clog it even more, there was a deal made with the landowner to temporarily store them there. 

Yesterday, car and commercial vehicle dealer Roy Humphreys confirmed the shipping containers were on its land and not owned by them, but they did not want to comment further

Roy Humphreys, a car and commercial vehicle dealer, confirmed yesterday that the shipping containers were on the land but not theirs, but they declined to comment further

The backlog has impacted major retailers such as IKEA as well as major food companies like Nestle, the world’s largest producer of baby food, coffee, and chocolate. There are also tens to thousands of smaller UK businesses that are waiting for orders from around all over the globe.

Because it was easier to avoid Felixstowe, some cargo ships were being shipped to European ports with containers that had been moved into the UK via Dover. 

Today, the world’s biggest freight company Maersk said logistics problems across the global shipping industry would last well into next year.  

Roy Humphreys, a car and commercial vehicle dealer, confirmed yesterday that the shipping containers were on the land, but they declined to comment further. 

The differently coloured shipping containers and the surrounding countryside have combined to create a strangely beautiful scene at the former airfield

The surrounding countryside and the differently colored shipping containers have created a bizarrely beautiful scene at the former Airfield. 

Felixstowe has been suffering heavily from congestion in recent months. In October, it emerged container ships had been forced to divert from the port due to lack of drivers and labour shortages which hampered efforts to unload and reload ships.' Pictured are lorries at the airfield

Felixstowe has been suffering from severe congestion in recent months. It was revealed that container ships were forced to divert from Felixstowe’s port in October due to a lack of drivers and labour shortages. This hampered efforts unloading and reloading ships. Pictured: Lorries at the airport 

Some cargo ships were being sent to European ports with containers moved into the UK via Dover or on smaller ships to less busy ports such as Hull and Liverpool because it was quicker to avoid Felixstowe

Because it was easier to avoid Felixstowe, some cargo ships were being shipped to European ports with containers that had been moved into the UK via Dover. Other cargo ships were sent to European ports on smaller ships to less busy ports like Hull and Liverpool.

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