FTA set to talk on stowaways
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by Ian Wylie • The Freight Transport Association is seeking an urgent meeting with Home Office ministers following speculation that the Government is about to introduce automatic fines for truck drivers who unwittingly bring illegal immigrants into the country.
In the past month alone the FTA has logged 22 incidents of stowaway asylum seekers on trucks. A spokesman says the authorities are cracking down too hard and many innocent drivers who report stowaways are being detained by police, often for up to 24 hours.
In a radio interview last week, Home Office minister Mike O'Brien suggested that the Government might extend the Carriers' Liability Act to truck drivers and their employers.
Cross-Channel ferry operators and Eurostar can already be fined up to £2,000 for each illegal immigrant they bring into the country. They are also held responsible for returning asylum seekers to their countries of origin.
The FTA fears that an extension of the Act to include hauliers is inevitable if it gets the backing of Home Secretary Jack Straw. "Are they supposed to check their vehicles each time they slow down for traffic lights or get delayed in a traffic jam?" asks the spokesman. One driver who contacted the FTA found immigrants hiding in his truck only 30 minutes after the vehicle had been searched by Belgian police.
The Home Office says last month it recorded a 60% increase in the number of asylum seekers entering Britain, many from the troubled region of Kosovo. A large proportion were hidden in the back of trucks. A spokesman says: "Mike O'Brien has simply said it would be a shame if the Government were forced to extend the Act to lorry drivers. It's unfortunate that truck drivers are being detained for so long, but it's up to each individual police force how they choose to conduct their investigations."