Calais migrants: Lorry drivers 'are sitting ducks'

Unwanted passengers can lead to drivers being fined up to £2,000 per migrant

Lorry drivers heading to the UK have been confronted by hundreds of migrants trying to stow away on their vehicles over recent days.

It is not a new problem - but many say it is getting worse.

The unwanted passengers can also lead to drivers being fined - with penalties of up to £2,000 per migrant imposed if any are found on board upon arrival in the UK. But what, if anything, can drivers do about the situation?

The Home Office has a code of practice on how to avoid receiving such fines. It offers advice including making checks during loading, effectively securing vehicles and continuing to make checks regularly on the way to the UK, with such checks recorded and the documentation kept with the vehicle.

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) also has a section in its drivers' handbook on how to stop illegal migrants boarding lorries - but a spokeswoman said it was currently "impossible for drivers to carry out checks as they put themselves in danger by leaving their vehicle", adding that the "stream of migrants is relentless".

Natalie Chapman, head of policy for London and the South East at the FTA, said drivers have been advised in the past year not to stop for rest breaks or fuel within about an hour's drive of Calais. Drivers also have to make sure their vehicles are properly locked and secured.

However she said drivers were "sitting ducks" with the queues coming out of the ports. "They're getting people standing in front and forcibly stopping them", she added.

French police can be called to remove migrants from vehicles, but they are generally not detained, said Ms Chapman.

"It is very sad, and there is a humanitarian crisis going on, but our concern is for the safety and welfare of drivers," she added, saying that some migrants were armed with knives which they used to slash the sides of vehicles.

UK ministers have said a "significant" number of would-be migrants had been stopped in recent days

Richard Jameson, who runs a transport company based in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, agreed that drivers are facing an increasingly dangerous situation.

"The guidance given by the government is all well and good, until you approach the port of Calais. When you do, it's an absolute nightmare for any driver.

"You're sat in your cab and surrounded with tens of, if not 100, migrants swarming the motorway between the lorries. There are unbelievable scenes.

"The police are fighting a losing battle. And as a driver, you're quite limited as to what you can do."

He said migrants used to try to stow away at night, when lorry drivers were asleep, but were now "more brazen" and making daytime attempts.

He said hard-sided lorries, of the type his company used, were generally more secure because the only access is through the back doors.

But even when drivers secure their doors, migrants have gone underneath the vehicles and hidden on top of wheel axles, he said.

'Unbelievably stressful'

For his drivers, the problem is compounded by being unable to get out of their cabs to make extra checks at Calais because of the sheer number of people on the motorway wanting to get on board.

"This is going on every single day, and I don't know what the answer is," he said. "It's unbelievably stressful for drivers. I have drivers who don't want to go any more - they can't get out of their cabs without facing migrants coming towards them. And if they try to alert other drivers that someone is trying to get in their trailer, they can have rocks and bricks thrown at them.

"It would be nice for the British police to go out there to open their eyes as to what is going on."

Peter Cullum, the Road Haulage Association's head of international affairs, has recently called for more "boots on the ground" at ports, saying: "Truck security, though important, is only part of the solution. Increasing clandestine numbers require more crowd control."

Peter Davis, who runs a fruit and vegetable import and export business in Louth, Lincolnshire, said one of his drivers had been told by French police to allow migrants on the lorries - because they could not prevent them getting on board.

Asked how drivers could prevent migrant stowaways, he said: "There's nothing they can do, absolutely nothing.

"There are probably between 15 and 30 immigrants following a lorry, they're in groups, and the only way you could stop someone breaking in the back of the lorry is to confront them - and you can't do that, because there's no support from the police. You can't do anything."

Mr Davis also said French police had advised drivers to leave the backs of lorries open so migrants could be seen more easily - but said that was not possible for his business as the fresh produce needs to be kept at a certain temperature and there is the risk of contamination.

He added: "It's getting worse. It's a slow but sure descent into total anarchy. French police are turning a blind eye to it."