Fresh hope of cash after Spanish riots
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• British drivers who had their vehicles damaged in the Spanish hauliers dispute last October have been given a better chance of getting compensation.
Two weeks ago their hopes were dashed when the Basque civil governor wrote to them saying they could onlybe compensated by going through the Spanish legal system.
But this week Mick Blunt, one of more than 20 British claimants, received an encouraging fax from the British consulate at Bilbao. It said that the civil governor's office does not have the power to deal with the claims but they will be passed on to the Ministry of Interior. The consulate says 'this subsequent development holds out more hope".
Rob McHugh, head of Owner Operators UK which is representing Blunt and another owner-driver, says that if there is no sign of compensation in the next few weeks he will blitz the media to try and get a positive reaction — the BBC has already shown interest in a documentary on the 10-day dispute.
Blunt finally got his truck back on the road last month. He reckons that the damage and lost business has cost him more than 225,000 and is furious that the claims have been held up by the civil governor's office for seven months. "If the Spanish government get away with not compensating us everybody in Europe will be able to do exactly what they like to us," he says.