Migrant crisis: Haulage firm fined over 13 illegal immigrants welcomes review of laws
A haulage firm fined after illegal immigrants were found in one of their lorries has welcomed news that the Home Office's fine system is being challenged.
Similar fines have been administered by the Home Office to other haulage firms both in the UK and on the continent.
But now two European haulage firms - one Romanian and one Dutch - have taken separate cases to the Court of Appeal over the Home Office's fine system.
The Romanian firm involved in one of the cases has paid out a total of more than £3,000 since the scheme began.
In 2013, three migrants jumped on to the roof of one of its trucks from a motorway bridge, cut through the tarpaulin cover and were found by British immigration officers during checks at Calais.
The company was fined £900 and the driver £600.
Today, judges will hear another case in which a Dutch company is appealing against a fine of £7,200.
The moves have been welcomed by Movecorp's sales director James Mallett.
He said: "The fines are unfair, especially when you are following the procedures of border control like we were.
"We are part of the accreditation and even though we follow that we still got fined.
"These appeals are de-finitely a good step forward and yes definitely these fines should be scrapped.
"If the Home Office are considering scrapping these fines then that would do all the UK and European haulage firms a big favour. We are all working on this together, we shouldn't be getting penalised."
Movecorp were fined after one of their drivers, Mark Robinson, returned from the continent.
He heard banging noises after pulling over at services on the M25 in London. He, according to Movecrop bosses, called the police and UK Border Force to report the stowaways but the Middlemore Lane West based firm were still fined £19,500 following the incident.
Following an appeal the fine was reduced to £7,500, but totalling close to £18,000 after legal costs.
