Government accused of failing to crack down on cabotage
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The failure to stop ontinental hauliers from egularly carrying out illegal :abotage work in the south A England is down to "a lack A political according to t leading transport lawyer.
Stephen Kirkbright of .cods-based Ford & Warren ays: "Clients have comilained about this for the iast four to five years and low they've given up on it."
EU law permits cabotage (the vhereby an EU operator can take on practice domestic vork in another EU country) on a temporary or 'regular basis. But Kirkbright says: "Many ;ontnental operators are carrying loads into the UK then trunking up and down the country with domestic loads—and they're doing it week after week after week."
Kirkbright stresses that when it comes to detecting illegal cabotage: "The prosecuting authorities don't have to prove it's unlawful—it's for the operator to prove Ws lawful. There's no political will at all. It's not the fault of the VI, who would look to stop vehicles on the grounds of safety; this is a revenue matter. It's a job for traffic examiners and particularly the police.
"My clients are continually complaining to me about unfair competition from foreign hauliers," he concludes. "They're just fed up with it."