Beware French gunmen
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by Ian Wylie II Two removals lorry drivers were robbed at gunpoint in France last Thursday, prompting haulage organisations to warn of the increasing risk of attacks on drivers on the Continent.
The latest victims, from Harrogate-based David Dale Removals, had parked for the night at a Shell garage outside Cherbourg. They were woken at 5am by two attackers with a gun who sprayed ammonia in the eyes of one driver and locked the other in the back of the truck.
Still reeling from the ammonia, the first driver was bound and gagged before the thieves made off with his credit cards, fuel cards, cash and vehicle keys. He eventually managed to free himself and his colleague before summoning help.
Without a spare set of keys, the drivers were forced to call out a local dealer to change the barrel lock. "Not only were the drivers robbed but it cost us an arm and a leg to get the lorry back on the road," says managing director David Dale, who had another driver attacked in the South of France earlier this year. "We've had problems in Spain and Italy in the past, but these are the first incidents in France."
Mike Freeman, controller of the Road Haulage Association's international section, says driver attacks are spreading: "Some parts of eastern Europe are only passable in convoys," he warns, "and southern Italy has a record of incidents but attacks in France are very unusual."
The RHA and the Freight Transport Association are about to publish a leaflet on security for drivers going overseas.