Operator was denied a ferry stowaway check
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• by Karen Miles An international haulier has been snubbed by the Home Office after complaining that an tmmigration official refused to check his vehicle for stowaways, Owner-driver Nigel Harness says he was told that there was no one at Dover available to check his vehicle when he drove through the non-European Union channel earlier this month. Stowaways are known to use ferry crossings for swapping trailers, leaving unsuspecting drivers vulnerable to fines of up to £2,000 for each person.
But when Harness, of Canvey Island, Essex, complained to the Home Office, officials merely re-emphasised the driver's duty to ensure there were no stowaways on board.
Harness says on the day in question the Channel was quiet and he asked an immigration official if someone could check his trailer.
"He told me there was noone available to do Et," Harness reports. 'They won't do it but these officials want some freight forwarder thousands of miles away to sign my papers."
The Home Office says there "aren't the funds to check every vehicle" but adds that spotchecks are made on up to 20% of the trucks coming into Dover for about 18 hours a day.
A spokesman says drivers must be ultimately responsible for their own checks, in accordance with the recent code of practice. "It isn't regarded as an excuse not to check," he says. "People also have the option of making notes if they spot something on the ferry."
The Home Office says drivers who can show they followed the system of frequent body checks on the journey and a roof check before embarkation will have strong grounds to appeal against a fine. No official figures have been collated yet on the number of drivers found to be smuggling immigrants.