French border guards impound trucks filled with 130,000 face masks bound for Britain

French border guards impounded trucks filled with 130,000 face masks bound for the UK leading to hurried negotiations between the British and French governments.

The masks were meant for brave NHS workers battling coronavirus across the country.

After realising what was on board, border guards in France held the truck in the wake of President Emmanuel Macron’s promise to ‘requisition’ face masks for the French crisis, reported The Sun.

This came just a day after another truck bound for the UK, this time stocked with hand sanitiser, was delayed by authorities on the other side of the Channel.

Officials in the UK were swiftly made aware of both incidents.

A government source told The Sun: ‘On Tuesday night, French authorities stopped the hand sanitiser and confiscated the lot. On Wednesday night, it was lorries full of FFP3 face masks to protect staff.’

However another source told the newspaper: ‘Both incidents were dealt with relatively quickly.

‘There is a clear understanding between countries that only a united approach will tackle the public health emergency all countries face.

The trucks were impounded leading to hurried negotiations between the British and French governments. Pictured: NHS nurses in Wolverhampton earlier this month

‘It appears to have been a misunderstanding, we’re confident it won’t happen again ‘.

On March 3 President Macron posted on Twitter that the French authorities would ‘requisition all stocks and the production of masks’.

Brexiteer Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader told the Sun said: ‘This shows you all you need to know about European co-operation.

‘Europe is in lockdown and each nation has been left to their own devices.’