Brexit ferry firm Seaborne in terms and conditions gaffe

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A firm awarded a government contract to provide extra ferry services has used website terms and conditions apparently intended for a takeaway food firm.

Seaborne Freight was given the £13.8m contract to run a freight service between Ramsgate and Ostend in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Its original terms and conditions advised customers to check goods before “agreeing to pay for any meal/order”.

The government said the section was “put up in errror” and was now correct.

In a statement, the Department for Transport said: “Before any contract was signed, due diligence on Seaborne Freight was carried out both by senior officials at the Department for Transport, and highly reputable independent third party organisations with significant experience and expertise into Seaborne’s financial, technical and legal underpinning.”

The government has been criticised for awarding the contract to a firm which has never run a ferry service and has no ships.

On Wednesday, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said the government had “looked very carefully” at the business.

“We have put in place a tight contract to make sure they can deliver for us,” he told the Today Programme.