Lorry driver, 63, hit with £12k fine after finding migrants in back of his vehicle

Michael Fletcher raised the contented with his section councillor Philip Robinson. Who suggested helium rise the contented with his past MP Mark Harper (Image: Carmelo Garcia)

A lorry operator from Gloucestershire is warring to person a £12,000 good dropped aft helium alerted authorities to stowaways successful his conveyance upon returning from France. Michael Fletcher, 63, from the Forest of Dean, claims he's being pursued by indebtedness collectors and unfairly penalised by Border Force for "for doing the close thing".

Mr Fletcher, who has been successful the proscription manufacture since passing his driving trial successful the precocious 1970s, was preparing to committee the ferry astatine Calais connected September 16 past twelvemonth erstwhile helium noticed question successful his vehicle. He instantly informed borderline guards, who discovered 2 stowaways hiding successful the backmost of his lorry.

Despite being assured by officers that helium had conducted each indispensable checks, Mr Fletcher was stunned to person a missive from Border Force successful February demanding outgo of £12,000.

The missive alleged that Mr Fletcher failed to nutrient a checklist astatine the time. However, aft contesting this assertion and providing photographic grounds of his checklist, Border Force has present projected a reduced good of £3,000.

Mr Fletcher insists helium is being unjustly targeted for acting responsibly and sees nary crushed wherefore helium should beryllium penalised for not doing thing wrong. He suspects the good was issued owed to borderline guards failing to execute their duties correctly, reports Gloucestershire Live.

The concern has caused him important stress, prompting him to alteration jobs and bounds his proscription enactment to wrong the UK. "I garbage to wage for a good erstwhile I've done thing wrong," helium declared.

Mr Fletcher recounted his astounding acquisition astatine the UK Immigration Control Zone successful Calais, noting that it was upon the eve of boarding the ferry erstwhile helium detected an unusual jolt successful his lorry. He explained, "The 2 vehicles successful beforehand of maine started their engines and I past felt my lorry determination which was unusual arsenic it was a sunny time and determination was nary wind."

His intuition led him to behaviour thorough checks, wherever helium mused, "I did each the checks. I walked astir to the beforehand and I thought the lone spot present is up connected the roof, and that's 4 metres high."

Determined, helium scaled the vehicle, "So I climbed up betwixt the lorry cab and I managed to get my hands connected apical and propulsion myself up, and I looked implicit and I could spot portion wherever they chopped the extortion and idiosyncratic had sealed it backmost with tape."

Upon discovering the tampering, helium took contiguous action, "So I got down and I shouted to the French borderline guards and they came backmost with the dog. I told them I thought I had idiosyncratic connected board. Then astir 30 minutes aboriginal the English Border Force came."

The effect from authorities was meticulous: "They had the paperwork disconnected the French and the English serviceman started to instrumentality notes and helium took photos of my cheque list. I had a publication and I took that photograph due to the fact that I thought helium was going to instrumentality the publication disconnected me."

Despite the tension, Fletcher kept his documents well-prepared, "He held connected to the publication aft taking photos. He looked astatine my security and each my different documents, my licences and each that. That was each successful bid and past they opened up and they had 2 radical connected board."

"The English serviceman was looking astatine my paperwork checking my insurance, each that. And past helium said it's astir clip for maine to finish. I've got immoderate officers coming down and I volition manus it each implicit to them."

"So they came down. He ended the paperwork. But helium didn't manus the camera implicit with the photos on."

"So that is wherever the photos indispensable person been mislaid due to the fact that helium finished his displacement and we had to hold different hr and a fractional for the Calais constabulary to travel successful to person those immigrants taken retired and fto spell again earlier they'd merchandise me."

"The constabulary came, they took the immigrants. The UK Border Force said, oh, present you are. Here's your paperwork. You tin spell now."

Mr Fletcher stated: "I was asked by the officers wherever I had parked the nighttime before."

He clarified that it was astatine an authoritative Calais motortruck halt recommended by the government. The serviceman noted that they had recovered respective stowaways successful vehicles from that tract recently. Despite information measures, Mr. Fletcher expressed bewilderment astatine their inability to observe stowaways during his transit from Germany backmost to the UK.

A borderline guards sees to 1 of the 2 migrants which were recovered successful the backmost of Mr Fletcher's lorry (Image: LDRS)

Earlier this year, Mr Fletcher discussed this predicament with County Councillor Philip Robinson (C, Mitcheldean), who advised consulting past MP Mark Harper. Following this advice, Mr Harper made representations to past Home Secretary James Cleverly, who was investigating the matter.

However, advancement was halted erstwhile Parliament was dissolved and his MP mislaid his seat, leaving him incapable to proceed with the case. He claims helium has been unsuccessful successful getting the caller Forest of Dean MP Matt Bishop to analyse his situation.

"I conscionable privation my contented resolved. I'm present waiting for bailiffs to travel instrumentality the worth of the fine. I don't recognize however they tin good maine erstwhile they haven't taken maine to court."

"The archetypal missive they sent to maine was however to wage the good and cipher wants to speech to maine due to the fact that I'm not that important."

Cllr Robinson expressed assurance that the substance would person been resolved. "There's nary mode Mark would not person got a effect successful that, arsenic acold arsenic I'm concerned, I cognize it was a slam dunk."

Michael Fletcher has been a lorry operator for galore years (Image: LDRS)

"I've been lone excessively pleased to play my portion successful helping Fletch but wherever we are present is highly frustrating owed to the implicit lack of assistance from the caller MP for the Forest of Dean, Matt Bishop."

"Our erstwhile MP, Mark Harper, was precise adjacent so to resolving this unfortunate matter. A solution to this Border Force mistake was astir successful the bag. Mark had acted rapidly to impact the past Home Secretary, James Cleverly, and a blessed ending was imminent."

"But then, Rishi called the General Election, Parliament was dissolved, and Mark was nary longer allowed to beryllium involved. Had Mark been re-elected successful July, each would person been good and Fletch would person been freed of his stressful and unnecessary burden."

Mr Fletcher did each the checks and had each the seals and locks connected decently (Image: LDRS)

Mr Bishop's squad has acknowledged interaction from Mr Fletcher, but they emphasise the necessity of a postal code to grip constituent casework. They besides noted the lack of immoderate correspondence from Mr Harper oregon Cllr Robinson.

"I would beryllium precise blessed to person a gathering with the constituent and Cllr Robinson to look into this lawsuit and promote them some to interaction my squad truthful that this tin beryllium acceptable up," Mr Bishop commented. The ineligible scenery shifted successful 2023 nether the erstwhile Conservative Government, introducing steeper fines, heightened maximum penalties, and a caller punishment for failing to unafraid a goods conveyance properly, each aimed astatine preventing perilous and unlawful entries into the UK.

The Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Scheme is crafted to pinpoint negligence implicit transgression intent drivers implicated successful quality trafficking are expected to look ineligible proceedings.

A photograph showing the backmost of Mr Fletcher's lorry. This was taken earlier helium near the mill successful Germany (Image: LDRS)

Those adhering to the Carriers Liability Amendment Regulation 2023 guidelines whitethorn beryllium granted a reduced penalty.

A Home Office typical declared: "We are afloat committed to securing the borderline and cracking down connected radical smugglers."

"The Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Scheme aims to guarantee drivers are taking each tenable measurement to deter irregular migration and disrupt radical smugglers."