French customs officials are causing lengthy queues at Dover by demanding physical “wet” signatures on paperwork, business chiefs have said.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said demands for ink signatures on documents required for post-Brexit exports of animal and plant products were creating hold ups at the border as most documentation is produced digitally.

William Bain, head of trade policy at the BCC, said: “Like many of the problems this looks to be down to a differing interpretation of how the trade arrangements work after leaving the EU.

“It is the latest in a string of issues with the trade deal that speaks to the wider problems of interpretation, inconsistent application and glaring gaps in its coverage.”

Photos and videos posted on social media show tail-backs of lorries stretching for miles outside Dover. Queues ran for six miles west of the port on January 19, according to Highways England, but some drivers have reported even longer delays.

There have also been reports of delays on the Calais side, after the UK introduced full customs controls on EU imports at the start of the year following a grace period.

The situation has forced the repeated triggering of Operation Travel Access Protocol (TAP), a set of restrictions that force lorries to remain on the left-hand lane of the A20, which leads to the port.

The BCC called for “urgent action” to address the issues, including supplementary agreements between the UK and EU to cut down on red tape. It said some British companies had found they needed to register for VAT in multiple EU states in order to sell goods online.

Mr Bain said: “No-one is expecting goods to flow as freely across the channel now as they did prior to Brexit.

“But the way the trade agreement is being interpreted in 27 different EU countries is a major headache for UK business – especially smaller firms without the cash reserves to set up new EU based arrangements.”