Standard delivery to the UK temporarily suspended at LEGO.com

The LEGO Group has been forced to temporarily suspend standard delivery on all orders to the UK.

On Sunday evening, France closed its borders to the UK amid fears over a new strain of coronavirus, preventing human-handled freight between Dover and Calais. LEGO.com’s standard delivery method arrives by road freight, so the LEGO Group is currently unable to fulfil the cheaper option through its online store.

You can still place an order with standard delivery, though – it will just be held until the freight routes reopen. France’s border closure is in place until 11pm GMT today (December 22), at which point shipping can presumably resume. But there will likely be a huge backlog by that point, and LEGO sets probably won’t be high on the priority list.

That’s because vast quantities of perishable food arrive via the Dover-Calais crossing. Road Haulage Association policy director Rod McKenzie told The Guardian: “It’s only 48 hours, but the French ban will have a devastating effect on the supply chain.

“We have seen in recent days the queues on both sides of the channel because of Brexit stockpiling and the Christmas rush and now border closures will mean everything including perishable food supplies will be impacted.

“We depend on the short straits for our daily supplies. What we are talking about is everything: factory parts, fresh and frozen vegetables, and all the Christmas deliveries.”

You could be looking at an extraordinarily delayed wait for your LEGO sets, then – at least if you opt for standard delivery at checkout. Express delivery is still an option, although the LEGO Group is warning that even those orders will take longer than usual to arrive.

In normal times, standard delivery costs £3.95 (or is free with orders above £50), and typically takes two to four business days. Express delivery is a flat fee of £21, but arrives in one to two business days (or next day if you order before 2.30pm). Unfortunately, these are definitely not normal times.

If you’re still keen to place an order at LEGO.com regardless of the wait, you can support Brick Fanatics by doing so using any one of our affiliate links.