Norfolk firms are finding that they are being impacted by delays at the boarder caused by Brexit.

The Tapas Lunch Company, which specialises in selling food and drink products imported from Spain, has found post-Brexit price increases and additional hold ups has made trading more complicated.

Valeria Navarro, who does logistics and supplies at the Colton-based firm said that they were being "punished" because of Brexit.

"Since Brexit came we've been having more issues. We import things from Spain. We have found our deliveries have been delayed."

A government report has just been published which warned that small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) faced additional costs and administration when shipping goods to and from the EU due to Brexit.

However, some Norfolk firms have already found that they have been impacted

Ms Navarro has found that the added admin and costs involved in importing goods from Spain after leaving the EU has had a massive impact on her business.

She explained that additional certificates are now needed on the Spanish side and they "take time and money" to get.

"There have been lots of delays. You never know when items will be with you. It could be 15 days, it could be 20 days.

"Most of our suppliers are Spanish. They don't want to take responsibility as they say Brexit was our choice. This means we pay the export costs, the import costs, the certificate costs.

"Items will be more expensive.

"In the end it's you and me who pay for this. It's the people who pay for this amount."

The Tapas Lunch Company was set up in 2005 with the aim of supplying Spanish products at a cheaper price than supermarkets. But with the added costs since leaving Brexit the firm is struggling to keep prices competitive.

Eastern Daily Press: MArk Kacary from the Norfolk Deli in Hunstanton. Picture: Matthew Usher.MArk Kacary from the Norfolk Deli in Hunstanton. Picture: Matthew Usher. (Image: © ARCHANT NORFOLK 2016)

Mark Kacary, managing director of The Norfolk Deli which stocks products from Italy, France and Spain said that he does not "envy" importers.

He said: "We use specialist wholesalers whose business is all about importing and stocking products from France Spain and Italy. If there are delays or stock issues they will be feeling the pain. We tend to order whatever it is that they have in stock and as we like to change our customer offering on a regular basis we will replace anything which is out of stock with something different. I do not envy importers though."

He added that he has also seen prices going up, not just on imported European products but on locally produced goods as well.

"Many people think that price increases only come about due to the increase in raw ingredients, but local producers will have to work harder to find alternate sources for packaging. Prices of jars and packaging in general have seen substantial price rises.

"Unfortunately small businesses like ours and many of the producers whose products we stock have to pass on the price increases. We simply don't have the buffers large corporates have to weather out any pricing storm and neither do we have the negotiation clout to push manufacturers to keep their prices low.

"People have to realise that there is a cost associated with food production and there is also a cost associated with the additional bureaucracy required when a totally free trade agreement is no longer in place. Adding barriers to what had been frictionless trade was always going to have an impact on costs. If you need to employ people to deal with the extra work they have to be paid for somehow."