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MP slams firm's 'outrageous' stowaway penalty AN OPERATOR'S MPhas called
Page 6
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on the Home Office to cancel a fine imposed after a driver reported stowaways at Calais.
John Whittingdale, MP for Maldon and East Chelmsford, is supporting Cold Norton, Essexbased haulier MA Ewers which, together with its driver, was fined £1,250 after he followed the rules by reporting stowaways to the authorities (CM 22 March).
A spokeswoman explains: -It's ludicrous that we have to pay when we reported the stowaways.
Whittingdale says: -I've been contacted by Mr Ewers about the penalties imposed on his company by the Home Office. As I understand it, his driver behaved entirely responsibly and alerted the authorities at the first opportunity to the presence of stowaways in his trailer.
"It's outrageous that the firm should now be penalised for his actions; I believe he should he commended by the Home Ofiice, not fined. I've written to the minister urging him to look into this urgently and cancel the fine."
A Home Office spokesman would only reiterate his comment that he cannot comment on specific cases which are still open to appeal, repeating that there are penalties in place to encourage drivers to check and secure their vehicles: "The size of the fine will show how much they complied with this system."