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Cleared in France fined in UK
Page 8
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Another driver has found himself without a defence against stowaway fines despite clearing every check. Jennifer Ball reports.
A KEN! !RUCK driver is facing a £1,500 fine for carrying illegal immigrants, despite being given the all-clear by French Customs.
Tony Merry says he arrived at Calais on 5 August and passed though the scanners prior to embarkation with nothing detected. But when he arrived in Dover British immigration officials checked the trailer and found two Iraqi stowaways on board.
Merry says: "I have been doing this job for 30 years and regularly travel abroad to the Eastern bloc and this has never happened before. I had no idea they were there and had done all the neces sary checks— the seal on the trailer was still intact.
"Immigration didn't even caution me. I had a two-hour interview with them, then they left me for eight hours before telling me that they were going to fine me.! would rather go to prison than pay up."
A Home Office spokeswoman warns that a port operator's check will not provide a defence if illegal immigrants are subsequently found. Despite any checks, drivers have ultimate responsibility for anything, or anyone, found in their trucks. She concludes that the driver has a right to appeal.
• Lewes MP Norman Baker has demanded tighter controls at Newhaven port, which he claims has become a soft target for illegal immigrants entering Britain. His call came after five stowaways were discovered in the back of a truck by a local operator.