Couple 'destroyed' over £6k fine for stowaway

The couple say they are devastated by the fine

A retired ambulance driver and his wife have been fined £6,000 after UK Border Agency staff found a migrant stowaway in a trailer attached to their mobile home.

Peter Hughes, 75, and Anne Lawton, 78, from Droylsden, Greater Manchester said they had no idea a young Sudanese man had hidden inside their trailer.

Mr Hughes said: "This has destroyed us."

The Home Office said its rules were aimed at targeting negligence rather than criminality.

The, couple who have been regular travellers to Europe for years, had stopped at a supermarket just before heading for the ferry at Calais on 7 May.

UK Border Force staff operating in France checked the trailer behind their motorhome and found a stowaway in the 4ft (1.2m) by 3ft (1m) by 1.5ft (45cm) unit.

'Bent up like a pretzel'

Mr Hughes unhooked the elastic cables from the trailer and was stunned to see the young man curled up in the trailer crammed with camping kit.

"You could have knocked me down with a feather when I opened the cover and there was a pair of feet.

"The guy was literally bent up like a pretzel round the camping chairs."

The couple think the only time and place the man could have sneaked in was when they went to the supermarket before they checked in at the port.

They had to surrender their passports and driving licence and wait for hours until French police came to take the man away, and they missed their ferry.

The couple heard nothing for months when, on Saturday, a Border Force letter arrived saying they had not carried out standard checks on the trailer as soon as practicable before reaching immigration control and they owed a £6,000 fine.

"We've been sweating since May and I've not slept since we got the letter," said Mr Hughes.

The trailer was packed with camping material

His wife added: "It's disgusting, do they think as old people we would do this deliberately."

Ms Hughes also said: "The only good thing to come out of this is that other tourists will know to check their trailers."

A Home Office statement said: "The Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Scheme is designed to secure our border, target negligence, and ensure drivers take every reasonable step to deter irregular migration.

"The option to appeal and trigger a review is made clear in supporting documents, as we aim to achieve a fair resolution for both parties.”

The couple have written to their MP Angela Rayner whose team is investigating.

They have until Christmas Eve to pay unless their appeal is successful.