Polish lorry drivers warned amid Calais migrant crisis
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
05.08.2015 09:51
The Polish Embassy in London has issued a warning to Polish lorry drivers as French and UK authorities struggle to stem the flow of illegal immigrants attempting to enter Britain via Calais.
Migrants wait before they jump over a fence next to a road and try to cross the fences to the rail tracks on the outskirts of Calais, France, 04 August 2015. EPA/ETIENNE LAURENT
The embassy has stressed on its website that drivers can be fined GBP 2,000 if a migrant is found inside a vehicle.
Meanwhile, the British government has published a document in Polish on its own website entitled 'How to avoid punishment? 10 rules for drivers.'
Alicja Rakowska, press spokesperson for the Polish Embassy in London, has told the Polish Press Agency that “we are trying to keep Poles continually informed on all the British recommendations as regards the situation at the border crossing between Britain and France.”
Delays at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel have created substantial financial losses for Polish transport companies.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that over 3,300 fines were issued by UK Border Force staff in 2014-15 to haulage firms and lorry-drivers, up 50 percent on 2013-2014. The appeal period on the former group has not yet concluded, so it may decrease.
Since June, at least 10 people have died trying to cross the border illegally. Each night, groups of illegal migrants try to enter the Channel Tunnel, cutting their way through fencing. Ferries have been faced with similar problems. (nh/rk)
Source: PAP/BBC