WELSH GOVERNMENT Counsel General and Brexit Minister Jeremy Miles paid a visit to Holyhead Port this week to discuss future plans for Anglesey amid the current threat of a no deal Brexit.

Mr Miles, who is a Welsh Labour representative for Neath, repeated his calls for Prime Minister Theresa May to remove that threat during his visit to the island on Thursday.

Welsh ports are the gateway between Ireland and the rest of Europe, with 80% of goods carried in Irish-registered HGVs between the Republic of Ireland and Europe passing through.

Holyhead is a key entry point – its status as the second busiest roll-on roll-off ferry port in the UK means it provides a vital link in a seamless supply chain for businesses across Wales, the UK and Ireland.

"Having had a tour of the site this morning, I can see that it's an incredible asset for the local economy," Mr Miles said.

"The scale and ambition of the operation being ran here is fantastic and plans for expansion and development are really impressive.

"That is why we have to be very careful because leaving the European Union without a deal could be very challenging and put Ports like this one under real pressure.

"Ports in Wales make a critical contribution to our economy, not least by providing jobs and added value to local communities. They are particularly vulnerable to the shocks that could arise following a no deal Brexit."

Earlier this year, Niclas Martensson CEO of Stena Line, the company which runs the Port of Holyhead, said he fears significant disruption in the event of a no deal Brexit and claimed it was impossible to plan for such an event.

Port manager, Captain Wyn Parry, who gave Mr Miles a tour of the site, set out some of his concerns about operations in Holyhead on Thursday.

"Mr Miles' visit is a very important one to us here as we prepare for the coming months" he said.

"It was good for him to see how we operate things here and we will now continue to dialogue with him and the Welsh and Irish Governments in due course."

Mr Miles spoke about the possible congestion issues that Holyhead Port could face should a no deal Brexit go ahead, insisting that back-up plans have been put into place.

"We have to take steps as a responsible Government to plan for a situation like that," he said.

"In relation to Holyhead, there has been a working group between the port authorities, the ferry lines, the HMRC and the Welsh, UK and local governments to come together and look at what the options are to help with potential disruption caused by a no-deal Brexit.

"We know that the UK Government has said, in the short term at least, that they will waive the checks on lorries coming in from the EU but the Irish Government as part of the EU say they will be putting in checks with any country from outside the EU.

"Plans for where lorries could be parked in that sort of scenario to ease back-logs have been considered and discussed and the current estimation, based on modelling, is that it is probably manageable with the port as it is in its current state.

"However, fall-back plans have been put in place. One of the back-up sites we have been looking at is the Roadking site but we've also got options in Parc Cybi and other contingency plans to consider as well.

"We are hoping and expecting that those wont be necessary, but of course there are no guarantees in this environment, so the key is to have a number of options available to us."

Speaking on what impact a no-deal Brexit could have on the fishing industry in the area, Mr Miles added: "In terms of legal aspects around regulations, we have worked on statute law to ensure that Welsh laws have incorporated the same ones as those of the EU. We have operated on the assumption of a no-deal from the start in that respect but in terms of the overall impact on the fishing industry, it could be very significant if we leave the EU on a no deal basis."

Mr Miles added that the key issue is likely to come down to what decision the Irish Government makes in terms of dealing with checks at the border.

He says the main priority for the Welsh Government is to ensure that they are doing "everything in their power" to minimise the effect of a no deal Brexit on Welsh communities and businesses.

"Our priority is to ensure we are doing everything within our power to minimise the effect on Welsh communities and businesses," he continued.

“Most of the risks relate to border arrangements – to customs and safety checks," he said.

"These are for the UK Government to resolve. But the requirement by the EU for member states, including Ireland, to treat goods from the UK as a third country – with all the additional checks that involves – could cause knock-on delays at Welsh ferry ports, especially Holyhead.

"As Welsh Government, we've been really clear in saying that we don't want to see Brexit happening on a no deal basis as it is really, really bad news for Wales and the UK in general.

"All this could be avoided if the Prime Minister listened to and acted on our calls and removes no deal as an option."