Some £100 million-worth of toys, consoles and clothing commodities could be disrupted by the latest strike action at the UK’s Felixstowe port in the lead up to Christmas, according to ALPS Marine analysis by Russell Group, a data and analytics company.

Felixstowe workers are understood to be preparing for renewed industrial action from 27 September to 5 October 2022.

There are fears that the stoppage could result in serious disruption in the run up to the festive season, which also includes Halloween and so-called Black Friday.

Russell’s analysis reports that clothing worth an estimated £72 million and toys and video game consoles with a combined economic value of £29.5 million are scheduled to be imported into Felixstowe during the 27th September to 5th October period.

The economic value of all imports into Felixstowe during the period would amount to £532 million, while goods exported from Felixstowe would be £415 million, bringing the combined import/export flow of trade through the port to £947 million.

Russell Group managing director, Suki Basi said: “A strike at Felixstowe in August led to vessel diversions to other UK and European ports. One month on, we anticipate something similar happening as renewed strike action looks set to disrupt retailers and businesses waiting for vital imports at one of the busiest periods for the UK economy. “

“Businesses can’t predict when strikes are going to happen but when it does occur they can predict the probable impact on their supply chain through the use of increasingly sophisticated forward-looking connected trade flow analysis. This would help them to make alternative arrangements that ultimately protect business continuity and even viability.”