A GLOUCESTERSHIRE man who was issued a £12,000 fine after alerting the authorities to stowaways in his lorry when he was coming back from France is still “in limbo” over the charge.
Michael Fletcher, 63, from the Forest of Dean spoke out in October this year and said he was facing debt collectors and was being penalised by Border Force “for doing the right thing”.
Mr Fletcher, who has worked in transportation since he passed his driving test in the late 1970s, was about to board the ferry at Calais on September 16 last year when he felt his vehicle move.
He alerted border guards of his suspicions and after a check they found two stowaways in the back of his vehicle.
Mr Fletcher says he was advised by officers that he had done all the necessary checks.
But was shocked to receive a letter from the Border Force in February demanding payment of £12,000.
They claimed in the letter that Mr Fletcher was unable to produce a checklist at the time.
But after disputing this, and providing a photograph which shows his checklist, Border Force are now seeking a payment for a reduced fine of £3,000.
But Mr Fletcher says he is wrongly being targeted for doing the right thing and does not see why he should pay for not doing anything wrong.
He believes he has been sent the fine because border guards did not do their work correctly.
He is stressed by the situation and has had to change his job in the meantime and only works in transportation within the UK.
Mr Fletcher raised the issue with his county councillor Philip Robinson (C, Mitcheldean) earlier this year who suggested he speak with his then MP Mark Harper.
The Conservative had raised the issue with then Home Secretary James Cleverly who was in the process of looking into the issue.
But this stalled after Parliament was dissolved and his MP lost his seat and is no longer dealing with his case.
He has since been unable to get the new Forest of Dean MP Matt Bishop to solve his case.
Mr Fletcher says he still doesn’t know what’s going to happen with the fine. He feels like he is “in limbo”.
He says he needs the issue resolved so that he can continue working in Europe.
“Nobody’s said anything and I think they want it to go quiet so nobody knows and then come back at me later,” he said.
“Normally, if they had a collection person to collect stuff, they would have been by now.
“They did tell me in Newport that they had handed it to a debt collection company before I spoke out about it.
“If it does get wiped off, I want them to take the mark off my passport and at least give me an apology for messing me about.”
Councillor Robinson said he thought Mr Fletcher’s issue was going to be resolved quickly.
“I am really disappointed the MP has still not taken a personal interest in trying to resolve it,” he said.
“I had thought it was about to be resolved but low and behold nothing has happened. He continues to be the invisible MP.”
Mr Bishop says his office has contacted Mr Fletcher many times and have written to the Home Office for an update.
The Labour MP also said Cllr Robinson has not engaged with him and his office about the matter at all.
Mr Bishop said: “My office has contacted Mr Fletcher many times to discuss this case.
“I have also written to the Home Office for an update, and this has been communicated to Mr Fletcher.
“Cllr Robinson has not engaged with me or my office about this matter at all,” he said.
“If he would like to hear about what I have been working on since being elected, I would welcome a conversation with him.”
The law changed in 2023 during the previous Conservative Government and increased fines, new maximum penalty levels and a new penalty for failing to adequately secure a goods vehicle came into force to prevent dangerous and illegal journeys to the UK.
The Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Scheme is designed to target negligence rather than criminality – we would expect drivers who are actively involved in people smuggling to be investigated and prosecuted in the courts.
Responsible persons who have complied with the actions laid out in the Carriers Liability Amendment Regulation 2023 are eligible for a discount to their penalty. A Home Office spokesperson previously said: “We are fully committed to securing the border and cracking down on people smugglers.
“The Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Scheme aims to ensure drivers are taking every reasonable step to deter irregular migration and disrupt people smugglers.”
The Home Office has been contacted for further comment.
