The complexity of UK regulation is a "major disincentive" to foreign investment in the country's ports, according to Richard Everitt, CEO of the Port of London Authority and chairman of the UK Major Ports Group.

At the Waterfront Conference, Investing in the UK Ports Industry, Everitt said there were plenty of reasons to invest in UK ports, but said there needed to be an agency to help foreign investors work their way through the regulations.

"We need a system where there is one agency that has the role of getting these consents in place," he said.

"If I were a foreign investor, I would look at the hoops you have to go through, and the uncertainty around those hoops, and look to put my money elsewhere - there are plenty of other places to do it."

He added: "The UK has got to understand that if it wants to be an attractive place to invest, it has to address this regulatory burden and complexity, and the absence of system to get through that complexity in a sensible way."