Beware of stowaways on your cycle rack.

[Steve I]

Couple return from France unknowingly carrying a stowaway hiding on their cycle rack cover and get fined! Seems a bit unfair to say the least. I'd imagine most folks reading this will now save themselves £1,500 and not report the matter. The law is an arse.

Essex couple fined £1,500 after migrant hid on motorhome

The pair are given a £1,500 penalty after finding the young man once they arrived home in Essex.

www.bbc.co.uk

My guess is that maybe c80-90% of people would have reported it previously but now be lucky if only 90% don’t… beyond madness

 

[Bubba]

There again, they could simply check their vehicle before crossing . . . .

Ah. Let's blame the girl in the short skirt for getting raped.
If a crime has been committed against you, ie, someone used your vehicle to gain entry into a country, it's the owners fault. Not the person who illegally gained entry into a country.

 

[pandas]

I am pretty sure I would notice a 75k weight hanging off the back. plus there would have been some movement to shift position. When we used to have a rear bike rack we used to check just to make sure the bikes were still okay more than anything else., (everyone hates a smart a...) We have a garage now.

 

[Northernraider]

Ah. Let's blame the girl in the short skirt for getting raped.
If a crime has been committed against you, ie, someone used your vehicle to gain entry into a country, it's the owners fault. Not the person who illegally gained entry into a country.

Easier to catch and fine .

And that's the UK all over. That's why motorists are easy targets but drug gangs ,terrorist cells etc etc are left till they've killed folk etc and then we're told " we've been watching them for some time"

 

[Daffy64]

It’s not just Motorhomes, truck drivers get fined if they bring anyone in.

I’d be furious if I was fined but I can also appreciate the other side in that if HMG didn’t deter individuals from importing migrants then every other truck, bus and van would be a potential migrant transporter because there would be money to be made by subletting some space on your bike rack.

Can you imagine the queue at customs if Border force had to do a proper search on every vehicle?

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[15isto2]

It was raised at Prime Minister’s Questions today.

 

[KiwiKev]

It was raised at Prime Minister’s Questions today.

How would you know if the stowaway left the ferry on the same vehicle he arrived on? If nobody is on the vehicle decks during the crossing the stowaway could swap over to another vehicle with a more comfortable situation. Maybe pop up decks for a sandwich. You might find no stowaways on your MH before embarking, but you might pick up one on the ferry before you disembark.

 

[Whippet93]

How would you know if the stowaway left the ferry on the same vehicle he arrived on? If nobody is on the vehicle decks during the crossing the stowaway could swap over to another vehicle with a more comfortable situation. Maybe pop up decks for a sandwich. You might find no stowaways on your MH before embarking, but you might pick up one on the ferry before you disembark.

A look round the vehicle when going back to the vehicle deck would be a start, only a two minute check.

 

[Puddleduck]

A look round the vehicle when going back to the vehicle deck would be a start, only a two minute check.

With the way they pack the vehicles in? I wouldn't manage to check under a back rack on a vehicle deck.

 

[KiwiKev]

A look round the vehicle when going back to the vehicle deck would be a start, only a two minute check.

As the UK immigration check for people embarking for the UK from France is on French soil at the port, once the stowaway has got onto the ferry, and you check your vehicle in the minutes before disembarking, the found stowaway is effectively under UK juristiction by that stage, so maybe, even if you found a stowaway just before disembarking, and reported them, you could be still up for a fine. Is there any official guidence on this hypothetical situation? As a defense you could say you checked your MH before embarking, and there was no stowaway. How could the authorities prove you didn’t check.

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[Pete D.]

Couple return from France unknowingly carrying a stowaway hiding on their cycle rack cover and get fined! Seems a bit unfair to say the least. I'd imagine most folks reading this will now save themselves £1,500 and not report the matter. The law is an arse.

Essex couple fined £1,500 after migrant hid on motorhome

The pair are given a £1,500 penalty after finding the young man once they arrived home in Essex.

www.bbc.co.uk

Fining people for this is simply a ploy to get others to do thework of our inept Borde Force.

 

[Pedro Pallent]

Couple return from France unknowingly carrying a stowaway hiding on their cycle rack cover and get fined! Seems a bit unfair to say the least. I'd imagine most folks reading this will now save themselves £1,500 and not report the matter. The law is an arse.

Essex couple fined £1,500 after migrant hid on motorhome

The pair are given a £1,500 penalty after finding the young man once they arrived home in Essex.

www.bbc.co.uk

easy answer don’t use bike covers when you get near ferries, lift your bikes inside for safety; and stow the cycle rack to its secure position

 

[chris McKenny]

Couple return from France unknowingly carrying a stowaway hiding on their cycle rack cover and get fined! Seems a bit unfair to say the least. I'd imagine most folks reading this will now save themselves £1,500 and not report the matter. The law is an arse.

Essex couple fined £1,500 after migrant hid on motorhome

The pair are given a £1,500 penalty after finding the young man once they arrived home in Essex.

www.bbc.co.uk

This was brought up in PM question time yesterday by couples MP ,promised would be looked into ,definitely needs clarification.

 

[TDub49]

Ah. Let's blame the girl in the short skirt for getting raped.
If a crime has been committed against you, ie, someone used your vehicle to gain entry into a country, it's the owners fault. Not the person who illegally gained entry into a country.

A weird interpretation if I may so so. Still, happiness is found in the strangest places . . . .

 

[pelican]

Simply remove covers prior to embarkation.

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[BrochMike]

How would you know if the stowaway left the ferry on the same vehicle he arrived on? If nobody is on the vehicle decks during the crossing the stowaway could swap over to another vehicle with a more comfortable situation. Maybe pop up decks for a sandwich. You might find no stowaways on your MH before embarking, but you might pick up one on the ferry before you disembark.

This seems like an obvious defence.

How on earth can the authorities prove you 'imported' the immigrant - and that they didn’t simply hitch a ride during the UK part of your trip?

Will watch for the outcome but I really can't see why there should be the need for a complex appeal.

As a slightly cynical person, I do wonder if the news report is basically a publicity exercise for the Home Office to get a simple 'check your vehicle' message out there.