Another Calais Migrant Story (1 Viewer)

[Jim]

Received this email today, from a read only member..

My comments are that everyone is responsible for their own security. You cannot palm this responsibility off to anyone else. After stopping anywhere, it's your responsibility and in your best interest, to ensure you've not picked anyone up.

Warning to motor homers travelling in and leaving Calais

On the 27th of February we parked for about 1hour and a half on the Cite Europe motorhome park. Getting back to the van our kitchen window had been broken and the sunsunscreen damaged . We should have reported this but sadly we didn’t. We left at about 12.30 pm, and went to park in a safe place for the night. We got up the next morning at 6.30 am and went to the tunnel which we were booked on to depart at 10.18. Luckily we managed an earlier crossing leaving at just after nine. We went through all the checks.. Border control dusted the steering wheel, came into the van , looked in the wardrobe, the shower area, and quickly under the side seat. They did not look into our garage which is at the back of the van.

After disembarking we went straight to South Mimms Service station on the M25. As we parked there were 2 policemen sitting in their car. We went to order food and one of the policemen came to us and asked us to return to our van. They had seen a young man leaving our van and apprehended him. Our alarm had gone off, twice.

They asked us to check if anything was missing or disturbed. Yes our warning triangles had been moved.

Here the story beggars belief !!!! The small slim immigrant guy said he had travelled from Calais in our van !

We have a small access door inside our van that access to the garage can be made . It appears he bedded himself down at one end of the garage covering himself with clothes from the rack in there,Helping himself to a bottle of wine and weeing in a milk carton which he had emptied.

He had been in there over 22hours.Original access gained by the kitchen window he had broken .
We obviously were totally shocked that this could have happened ,causing us much stress as a result.

BUT

How come he was not picked up by Border force in Calais ?????If the garage has been checked he would have been found.

If those policemen had not been parked by our van he would have got into the country and we would have been none the wiser .!!!!!!!!

My warning to you is to check every access point and hiding place on your van., before leaving Calais.And ensure border force does its Job .!!!!!!? And please tell others to do the same.

 

[Tonks]

I'm amazed someone whose van had been broken into didn't check every area of their van afterwards to see what had been damaged, stolen, gone through.
Also, if they aren't facing a £2000 fine for bringing an immigrant into the UK, they're very lucky. The fine is applicable regardless of whether the driver knew the person was on board or not.

 

[nicholsong]

I have not travelled the Channel crossing for some years but I have always been surprised how cursory the checks are - usually the shower and garage, but often miss the wardrobe, under the duvet, the overcab bed and under the sofa storage which is just long enough for a small person in the foetal position.

Maybe they have never found anyone in these areas so are under instructions not to bother, or their knowledge of MHs is insufficient.

Has anyone ever seen them inspecting under the MHs? I have not.

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[Reallyretired]

We never both go to a supermarket, one of us staying in the van. This has the plus that I can avoid having to shop with swmbo which drives me mad because she has to look at things instead of going straight to the required items. If something requires my specialised knowledge eg wine I take a separate trip.

 

[royandsharont]

I’m astounded the owner didn’t check his full van after the entry, which must have been pretty obvious I think from the damaged internal blind.

I always check everywhere before boarding any method of transport home in any country for such as this let alone at the tunnel and would likely have reported it too, buts that’s me and each to their own.

A shame for the owners though

 

[JRT]

Has to be the first thing you would do surely?

In our case our JRT would alert us if anybody was hiding anywhere, he has a nose like a bloodhound..

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[xsparks]

I think it's in their dna, that even if their memory is flagging they can remember every price in every shop like for like. My wife can. With what she saves me we should be millionaires .

 

[DBK]

Landing at Plymouth only a fraction of vehicles are searched. Fortunately, very few migrants are seen at the ports sailing to Plymouth, which probably explains why few vehicles are searched.

It's different leaving from Plymouth - almost every vehicle is searched before being allowed onto the ferry.

 

[gus-lopez]

The fine is applicable regardless of whether the driver knew the person was on board or not.

Apart from the fact that it only applies to commercial vehicles.

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[Mikey RV]

The garage is the first place I would have checked being a big space that your less likely to check on route normally.

 

[Tombola]

He smashed the window and knew there was a little access door to the garage that he didn't know whether he would fit in or not. and decided to "bed down" after managing to fit in there after leaving the smashed window ?... very fishy.

If the story is true...then surely he would have been better just breaking into the garage himself from the outside.
Touch of the Walter mittys about it that one.

 

[Bailey58]

Not only were they lax in checking their vehicle after a break in but they use an unnecessary amount of exclamation marks!

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[scotzsue]

We have had the overcab bed checked several times, on one ocassion John had a rolled up mattress and bedding up there complete with bike lid, it did look like someone when they pulled it down, had a good search after that but also a good laugh and advised to store the helmet elsewhere. Surprisingly only stopped a couple of times in that van.

 

[Fragle]

You are completely correct Jim. As usual

A £2000 fine should be applied. Driver only is responsible for checking the vehicle before arriving at port no excuses

 

[buzz1]

I did warn people on sat about how bad the situation with immigrants was when we was there . but I always stay with van as we have a dog . We never had any trouble last year but this was at city Europe was ridiculous. And to be honest , when we left gravesline Sunday morning at 6:50 we saw atleast 30 of them in group. I believe they are using the bus network to get around . I think I remember seeing something stating buses are free in that area ? ,
I didn’t bother saying on here as I feel you get negative comments from some. ?
I feel sorry for op
lets not kick them while they are down .

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[Tonks]

Apart from the fact that it only applies to commercial vehicles.

Not so. According to the UK Government website you can be fined even if you're a tourist.

 

[cyberyacht]

It's different leaving from Plymouth - almost every vehicle is searched before being allowed onto the ferry.

Are they afraid some migrants might escape back to France?

 

[RedFrame]

Did they claim they were gassed overnight so that they didn't hear the migrant moving while they slept...

Cheers
Red.

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[JRT]

Not so. According to the UK Government website you can be fined even if you're a tourist.
View attachment 871217

How does somebody get to the UK in a 'detached' trailer?

Surely they would be stuck in France?

 

[HugoBNB]

Received this email today, from a read only member..

My comments are that everyone is responsible for their own security. You cannot palm this responsibility off to anyone else. After stopping anywhere, it's your responsibility and in your best interest, to ensure you've not picked anyone up.

It is that way of the world now, Jim. Lots of people want to blame someone as opposed to asking themselves "what could I/we have done to prevent this."

 

[Tonks]

How does somebody get to the UK in a 'detached' trailer?

Surely they would be stuck in France?

A trailer detached in France, then loaded, and then picked up in the UK. As was the case with the trailer that 39 Vietnamese immigrants died in some years ago as part of a people-trafficking ring, for which a number of people were imprisoned.
The excellent BBC documentary about the case, Hunting the Essex Lorry Killers is sobering viewing.

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[Spriddler]

It's easy to scoff from afar but I can cut the owner a bit of slack, perhaps still being a bit stressed with the broken window and then caught off-guard after arriving at the terminal in good time only to be called for a train leaving an hour earlier than expected.

 

[JRT]

A trailer detached in France, then loaded, and then picked up in the UK. As was the case with the trailer that 39 Vietnamese immigrants died in some years ago as part of a people-trafficking ring, for which a number of people were imprisoned.
The excellent BBC documentary about the case, Hunting the Essex Lorry Killers is sobering viewing.

I knew that of course, .I just found the way it was worded rather strange.....

It could have simply said 'trailer'.

 

[Littlewheels]

Are they afraid some migrants might escape back to France?

It’s actually happening and commercial drivers are being paid by traffickers as many want to get back to Calais, they don’t like the U.K. the restrictions and time element in claiming asylum and not being able to work restricts the money they can obtain.

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[Roger S]

When we are on our way back to the tunnel we wont stop ( unless fuel is needed ) within a 100 miles of calais, go straight to the tunnel. We have done this for the last 6 years.

 

[DandJ]

Not so. According to the UK Government website you can be fined even if you're a tourist.
View attachment 871217

That's a sneaky way for the Govt to get anyone reading it, worried (Although I can't imagine many folk would knowingly bring an illegal into the country in their Camper)....but the actual legislation only relates to Goods Vehicles

Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

An Act to make provision about immigration and asylum; to make provision about procedures in connection with marriage on superintendent registrar’s certificate; and for connected purposes.

www.legislation.gov.uk

 

[starquake]

Pretty poor border force didn't check the locker to be honest....

A person could "easily" fit at a push in each of our 2 under bed lockers on one side (not the side with water tank / truma) but not if we load it with alcohol. They are usually loaded with bedding so could hide a person under them at normal times so it's a problem we had not considered.

Maybe a solution is to load with alcohol at one of the French booze warehouses before returning - we done this this Sunday at Costco and the lockers hold more alcohol than our car. I will consider this and my personal fix and solution to this problem will be beer.

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[gus-lopez]

Apart from the fact that it only applies to commercial vehicles.

& why faced with a 2k fine originally many elected to bring in paying customers so that at least they had the money to pay with if stopped & if not they had a bonus

You are completely correct Jim. As usual

A £2000 fine should be applied. Driver only is responsible for checking the vehicle before arriving at port no excuses

Not so. According to the UK Government website you can be fined even if you're a tourist.
View attachment 871217

But you are not a 'tourist'? You are a resident. returning home,. I might be classed as a tourist but you aren't. & as said, it applies only to goods vehicles of which coaches used to be the main problem & are 'tourists'

Are they afraid some migrants might escape back to France?

& the 6 who were being smuggled back to france in a truck that was stopped were made to stay in the Uk even though they wanted to leave.

 

[Lenny HB]

How does somebody get to the UK in a 'detached' trailer?

Surely they would be stuck in France?

Have you not noticed the port staff loading unattached trailers?

 

[Lenny HB]

I can't believe anyone would leave a van unattended at City Europe for 1½ hours.

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