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customs s 'norma
DRIVERS are now regarding 12-hour wait at Dover Eastern Docks customs normal.
This startling claim has be made by the director of r international haulage con pany after one of the cor pany's drivers became stran ed at the docks last week.
But fearing reprisals for t criticism of the Customs ai Excise authorities at ti docks, he asked CM to wit hold his name.
The driver and his lo disembarked from a ferry out 2.30pm, and had to wait ail 11.55 the same night fore receiving final customs .arance.
He told CM: "All my papers ..re in order and a pre-entry rm was put through by the ipping agent an hour or so fore I landed.
"This is no isolated case — 3 happening all the time. hen you come into the EasDocks from Europe with a Id, how long you have to lit for customs clearance is to God and His mercy."
Drivers have sometimes ent two days awaiting arance, despite having had ?.-entry forms put through fore they arrived, he said. 'One of the problems is that customs seem to insist on Ilecting the papers for unacmpanied freight together th those for accompanied 'This means, if all the papers .t in the same pile, unaccomruled freight can be cleared A, while drivers have to wait • the customs officers to get the bottom of the pile.' 'Something must be done DUt it. The customs officers sit there in their little ■ ry towers and don't care at happens to us."
k spokesman for the Freight rision of the Dover Port thority said delays of up to hours "are absolute rubh."
'Customs clearance norLily takes about threeIrters of an hour.
'Accompanied freight is vays cleared separately m unaccompanied freight, always straight away." .sked if there had ever been 7 serious delays at the Eas n docks, he said this had Ter happened.
teports that angry drivers toyed at delays with clearT had blocked the road h their vehicles were also tied.
uld the spokesman added: lything like that was pro)1y caused by a drunken