Kent Police, the Port of Dover and Highways England. Local traffic often uses the parallel A20 (the old turnpike road from Maidstone to Folkestone) or the A2 (the historic Roman Road from London to Dover via Canterbury) though neither offers the same capacity as the M20. The road can be closed for days at a time, and as a result Operation Stack has been controversial. History 1988 Operation Stack was first introduced in February 1988, because of a strike called by the National Union of Seamen in Folkestone Docks, which was then an important ferry terminal, that began on 31 January. Though the strike stopped after three days, there was still a tailback and local protests and struggle between Folkestone and Dover. The whole of the M20 between Ashford and Folkestone was closed; at the time, the motorway was incomplete between junctions 8 at Leeds Castle and 9 at Ashford. 1999–2000 In 1999, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Transport Keith Hill commissioned a study by the Channel Road transport Group to look at alternatives. The following year, Michael Howard asked Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions John Prescott about alternative methods to Operation Stack. Prescott replied that he would investigate matters but defended the status quo, saying "Management schemes can make traffic flows much better, and they are almost inevitable in difficult circumstances." 2005 In early 2005, Kent Police implemented Operation Stack several times within a few weeks due to bad weather (snow), a strike and a berth damage in Calais, therefore limiting the number of ferries which can cross the channel. By the end of June 2005, it was revealed that Operation Stack was implemented a total of 18 times in the first half of the year and cost Kent Police £123,000 in overtime. 2007 At the end of January 2007, local Members of Parliament Damian Green (Ashford) and Stephen Ladyman (Thanet) were involved in a debate covering Operation Stack in the House of Commons. Everyone agreed that stacking was a problem, but there were no firm decisions as to any alternatives. 2008 On 5 March 2008 industrial action that had begun in late February by French workers operating SeaFrance cross-channel ferries resulted in Kent Police initiating phase 2 of Operation Stack. The industrial action lasted for a number of days, with the backlog on the M20 causing significant disruption. The MEP for South East England,