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The industry has rejected a judge's comments that hauliers should
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provide their drivers with ladders or extended mirrors to check their vehicles roofs to avoid paying stowaway fines.
Mr Justice Butterfield reduced Belgian operator JPS Trans's penalty from £6,000 to 13,600 last week, after he was satisfied it had tried to implement an effective checking system (CM7-13 August).
However, he concluded that failure to provide equipment to inspect the roof of a semitrailer—despite it being padlocked and sealed —could be sufficient to leave hauliers exposed to penalties.
The Freight Transport Association's head of external affairs. Geoff Dossetter, says the judge is being unfair in demanding more checks: When a driver Is on the Continent, common sense says he'll take every precaution not to carry stowaways."
Butterfield rejected Loane Transport's and Tansey international Transport's arguments that they did not know there were any immi
grants on board, and that the drivers had taken proper procedural steps to check them. Tim Gulprin of Aaron & Partners says he Is considering whether to appeal.
However, owner of Tansey International Transport Sean Tansey says he is not interested In an appeal. "I don't want to spend another £2,000 on this case. It is like throwing money into a black hole."
He adds that he is willing to provide his drivers with ladders and extended mirrors: "Anything helps, because at the moment hauliers are in such an impossible position over this issue."
• The industry has welcomed the conviction of the head of an Albanian smuggling gang believed to be responsible for bringing up to 12,000 illegal immigrants into the UK.
Albanian Mhill Sokoli, 36, was at one point smuggling 15 to 20 people across the Channel every day via the Belgian port of Zeebrugge. He was jailed for eight years by the Belgian court.
The 24 other members of the gang received sentences of at least three years each.