A British-owned haulage company registered in Poland has lost over £40,000 as result of unwittingly transporting 5 migrants into the UK – despite maintaining the truck had been secured and later checked at Eurotunnel.
Templar European Logistics, which is registered in Poland but owned by Englishman Matthew Garnett, wrote about the situation on its Facebook Page on Saturday evening:
Got a lovely letter of border Force today !!! Explaining that I have been fined £4,000 for calling the police and telling them we had immigrants in the trailer!! Yep got to love the mentality of the UK Government!!!
According to Templar European Logistics, the truck in question had been loaded with fresh salad in Italy before it stopped near Reims in France for a break. The haulier says its driver then did his walk-round checks and saw nothing unusual – the seal and locking bar were intact. The company’s driver then made his way to Eurotunnel to cross the English Channel as planned.
Templar European Logistics says the truck was checked for Co2 at Eurotunnel and was also subjected to the normal security tests, with nothing untoward found.
However, it is said that when the company’s driver parked at Oxford Services, he heard noises from the trailer and called the police. Officers then reportedly found 5 migrants inside.
In the aforementioned Facebook post, Templar European Logistics said that it had lost over £40,000 as a result of the incident – a £4,000 fine from the government on top of £4,000-worth of damage and £34,000 for the lost load:
So they were taken away no paperwork issues at all by the police and a full load of salad condemned as unfit for human consumption! So far i have lost £34k for the load £4k for the destruction and now a further £4k so £42k ………How is this mine or the drivers fault I hear you say ? God knows is the answer , we do everything possible to check and prevent immigrants getting in our trailers and we call the police not just say on your way guys . Our drivers risk harm or even death being proactive and what happens we get penalised !!! We have covid & brexit to deal with and now we get fines for doing the police and border forces job !!!! Well lets just say this man is not for turning and no way am I paying we will appeal and then go to court as this is plain unfair !!!! Rant over, have a great weekend.
News of Templar’s plight broke just a day after British haulier Whites Transport Services revealed it had narrowly avoided a similar fate after its driver spotted an migrant had hidden himself in a truck’s side-locker.
Both incidents follow a recent policy document released by the UK Government that contains various measures, including huge fines for HGV drivers, intended to prevent migrants reaching the UK in trucks. Some of the measures in the document have been criticised by both the RHA and Logistics UK.
In response to the UK Government’s policy document, the RHA said:
It is vital when considering the operation the border that there is not an unrealistic expectation by Government that the onus is always on the driver and haulier to ensure security, regardless of what is within their control or not.
The RHA also maintains that stiffer fines for drivers and hauliers are not required:
The proposal to increase the maximum penalty of £2,000 under the Clandestine Civil Penalty Regime is not supported by the RHA. We believe the current fine levels are sufficient and that the focus needs to be placed on other aspects of the operation of the scheme.
In addition, the Road Haulage Association adds that although trailers should always be secured, some vehicles cannot be secured with locks and seals. Therefore, the association states that “blanket or arbitrary rules” should be avoided:
We would also like the Home Office to note that some vehicles cannot be secured with locks and seals (e.g. car transporters & outsized machinery). Therefore, blanket or arbitrary rules should be avoided. We also need to take account of the criminal nature of the entries which can be done in ways that bypass security measures. We do not wish to see a presumption of guilt, where the driver or operators as victims of criminal activity find themselves being fined or criminalised for the behaviour of others.
Finally, the RHA has made it abundantly clear that it believes the proposal to penalise all hauliers when a migrant is onboard a truck, irrespective of load security, as “unacceptable”:
The proposal for “Expanding the scheme to entail levying a penalty on all hauliers where a migrant is found in their vehicle, regardless of load security” is unacceptable. In effect this creates a presumption of guilt so high that is impossible for the driver or operator to even appeal against a penalty. In most cases the driver and operator are each a victim of crime not the criminal. It is very concerning that such a draconian measure could be proceeded with.
Photo credits: Tony Hisgett / Wikimedia Commons + Google Street View