Calais Migrants Crisis: Haulier Fines Up 300%

Hauliers heading to the UK are being hit by three times as many fines for carrying illegal immigrants in their lorries compared to three years ago.

Drivers can face an on-the-spot penalty of up to £2,000 for every person found hidden in their vehicle at any British port and the Eurotunnel under Home Office rules.

There were 3,319 fines in 2014/15, up from 998 in 2012/13, according to new figures, which also showed at least 6,494 stowaways have been discovered over that period.

However, the true number of stowaways is probably far higher.

The fines add potential further financial woes to hauliers who also suffered major traffic backlogs in Kent due to Operation Stack , brought in when services at the Channel Tunnel or Dover port have been disrupted.

Lorries queued on sections of the M20 for long periods and some hauliers had to dump their cargoes.

There are now plans to use the abandoned Manston Airport as an emergency lorry park.

It comes as the British and French governments come under pressure to end the migrant crisis, which has seen numbers swell in Calais over the summer to an estimated 5,000 from countries including Syria, Libya and Eritrea.

A Home Office spokesman said the increase in fines is largely due to the growing numbers of migrants at Calais since 2012.

And he added only 7% of those caught were British drivers but claimed too many lorries had insufficient security.

Industry body the Freight Transport Association (FTA) said the figures highlighted the growing determination of immigrants to smuggle themselves on board vehicles heading to the UK.

The FTA's Donald Armour said most drivers took measures to properly secure their vehicles but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

He highlighted migrants' determined attempts to smuggle themselves on-board as well as long queues on the other side of the Channel providing more opportunities to do so.

Mr Armour added: "The problem has definitely increased in recent years and you've got huge numbers of people making a real effort to come across.

"Whereas they used to come in ones or twos, you're now often finding 10 to 20 people smuggling themselves on board at any one time."

He said some immigrants get in to vehicles through the roof and also slash the canvas sides of lorries.

The civil penalty fines, brought in 15 years ago, are used in cases where drivers fail to properly secure their vehicles and carry out checks, rather than organised smuggling attempts which are generally prosecuted in court.

Firms which are accredited with the Border Agency can avoid fines even if stowaways are found on their vehicles.

This means the true number of stowaways found is likely to be much higher than those recorded in the statistics, released to the Press Association under the Freedom of Information Act.