Government consults on driver fines as stowaway incidents persist
On one day last month in Kent, 52 suspected migrants of Middle East/North African origin were found in two trucks which had passed through UK security on the short-channel crossing.
26 were found in a Romanian fridge trailer carrying Spanish peppers at Gomez, a fruit distributor in Canterbury, and 26 more emerged from a trailer in Bridge Close, Dartford.
Jim Parmenter, the managing director of Gomez, said the £25,000 cargo would have to be written off, in what was the third such incident in a month.
“Our politicians are telling us things are getting better, but they’re not, they’re getting worse,” he told the Kent Messenger.
The same day, four Polish lorry drivers were jailed for five years each after they were caught smuggling 68 migrants into the country via Harwich. They included Afghan, Vietnamese and Chinese nationals.
It is understood that the immigrants had paid considerable sums to be smuggled into the UK, and one driver had reportedly been paid £1,000 per head to transport the immigrants from Holland to a location near Derby.
X-ray examination of the curtainside trailers used by the smugglers at Harwich revealed the immigrants hidden in legitimate cargos of fridges and washing machines. It was accepted by the court that the organisers of the people smuggling chain were still at large in mainland Europe.
At the end of March, the Road Haulage Association (RHA) reported that some 150 migrants, some of whom were armed with iron bars, attempted to board UK-bound trucks approaching the Eurotunnel. The incident resulted in the death of one migrant who was hit by an HGV.
The Home Office has launched a consultation on the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999, which can see drivers and hauliers given spot fines for unknowingly having stowaways on board their vehicles at ferry embarkation points. Drivers can currently be fined up to £2,000 per migrant; and such fines reportedly raised £6.6 million last year.
Road Haulage Association chief executive Richard Burnett (pictured) said: “UK-bound drivers are currently experiencing unprecedented levels of migrant activity, all intent on gaining entry into the UK.
“Under normal operating circumstances, the civil penalty system may be fit for purpose. However, under the current conditions, the regime is outdated and the risk to drivers is extreme. Our members who are regularly engaged in international haulage already take every possible precaution to ensure that their vehicles are secure.
“The revised code must take into account that despite taking all possible precautionary measures, the increase in migrant numbers and the need for drivers to protect themselves, can result in migrants still gaining entry to vehicles.
“We remain of the firm opinion that the safety of the driver is of paramount importance. While we welcome the consultation to review the fines process, driver safety must remain the key issue.”
Chris Yarsley, manager of road freight enforcement at the Freight Transport Association (FTA) added: “FTA is pleased to see the Government working with our industry in an effort to try and combat illegal immigration. Following the mass migration in to the EU over the past year we welcome the opportunity to revise the charging regime so that it incentivises operators to better secure their vehicles and could offer possible benefits for those who go further than the required minimum.
“The levels of penalties have not been amended for over 10 years and vehicle security technologies have improved immensely so it is now time to look at the entirety of the scheme.”
Operators can take part in the consultation, which closes on 18 April, here.
