Government sources have denied reports that Brexit contingency plans will accept the need for customs checks on the border.

Cabinet ministers are considering three memos on updating preparations for a no-deal Brexit.

One is general preparations, one is about ports and airports and the third is about communicating with people who might be impacted.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney has been keen to stress that impact could be very large.

"It'll be a fundamental disruption to how the all-island economy functions today in such a seamless way.

"And I think it will put strain and stress on not only that trade, but the political systems that back it up too".

But one big unanswered question still remains: how do you avoid a hard border with Northern Ireland, while also protecting the EU's single market from goods coming from the UK?

We have so far had no answer.

And Bloomberg has reported that the Government will accept in documents that checks will need to happen on or near the border, especially for livestock.

A pro-EU activist wears flags of the European Union and Great Britain together across his back while standing near Westminster in London | Image: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire/PA Images

That has been strongly denied by Government sources, who have always said infrastructure near the border is not being considered.

It is expected the full documents will be published later today.

On Monday, Mr Coveney suggested that a no-deal Brexit was more likely than it has ever been.

He said one of the biggest threats to Ireland was the 'boy who cried wolf' effect - where people assume because no-deal was avoided  March and April that it would happen again in October.

"To assume this would be a serious error", he warned.

He has also re-stated Ireland's commitment to the backstop, saying: "The backstop gives us certainty now, certainty that is essential to protect stability on this island.

"Any other arrangements agreed in the future must deliver the same outcome."

Much of the legislative heavy lifting has already been done by the Oireachtas to prepare for no deal - and the documents today will make further tweaks to the plans already outlined.

It comes ahead of a Dáil debate on the issue later in the week.

Reporting by Sean Defoe