RHA seeks T-fonm relief
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• The Government is being pressed by the RHA to temporarily remove the need for a customs stamp on T forms (transit forms) in an attempt to relieve congestion at ports during the current industiral action by customs men.
The T forms are currently stamped at the port of embarkation, but the RHA wants this practice stopped for the duration of the dispute. Instead, says RHA International Group chairman, Russ Peters, hauliers should be required to detach two copies of the T forms and leave them with customs unstamped.
Peters says RHA approaches to the authorities on the proposal have met with some success, but there is concern that the proposal will not meet with the agreement of the customs authorities elsewhere in the EEC. A top-level meeting of EEC officials should be called, says Peters, to ensure the "free-flow of British exports to the Community."
His own company, Martintnix, has managed to avoid the worst disruption by phoning in advance to check the situation at the ports. "Invariably some of the ports are not too bad," says Peters, but he is concerned that the disruption may get worse this week.
Caroline Trewhitt of the FTA's international section says: "Our people are anticipating an intensification of the customs action up to the election."