Skip to content

Lorry driver disputes fine over stowaway immigrants

Carmelo Garcia Michael Fletcher sitting in the driver's cabin of his lorry, with his right arm resting on the window ledge. It is a large transport lorry with a white cab and a black plastic canvas covering the goods.Carmelo Garcia
Michael Fletcher says he is being wrongly being targeted for "doing the right thing"

A lorry driver who discovered stowaway immigrants in his vehicle while coming back from France is battling authorities to drop a £12,000 fine.

Michael Fletcher, 63, from the Forest of Dean says he is facing debt collectors and is being penalised by UK Border Force “for doing the right thing”.

Mr Fletcher alerted authorities to his suspicions after he felt his lorry move while boarding the ferry at Calais on 16 September 2023.

Border Force claimed he was unable to produce a checklist at the time, but Mr Fletcher said this is untrue.

Carmelo Garcia A picture taken showing the contents of the lorry as it was sealed and locked before leaving Germany. The walls of the cabin are blue and it is full with what appears to be crates of bottles wrapped in clear plastic. Carmelo Garcia
Mr Fletcher was returning to the UK via France with a delivery from a factory in Germany

Mr Fletcher said he had passed the security checks at the UK Immigration Control Zone in Calais and was about to board the ferry when he felt a suspicious movement in the back of his lorry.

“I did all the checks. I walked around to the front and I thought the only place now is up on the roof, and that’s four metres high," he said.

"I looked over and could see where they cut the roof and somebody had sealed it back with tape.

“The police came, they took the immigrants. The UK Border Force said here you are, here’s your paperwork. You can go now.”

Carmelo Garcia A picture showing the rear of Michael Fletcher's lorry. It has metal cables and padlocks keeping the doors closed.Carmelo Garcia
Michael Fletcher says he completed all the required security checks of his lorry

Mr Fletcher said he was advised by officers that he had done all the necessary checks, but was shocked to receive the letter from the Border Force in February.

After he provided photographic evidence of the checklist he submitted to authorities, Border Force are now seeking a reduced fine of £3,000.

“I refuse to pay for a fine when I’ve done nothing wrong,” he said.

“I don’t understand how they can fine me when they haven’t taken me to court.

“I just want my issue resolved. I’m now waiting for bailiffs to come take the value of the fine."

Carmelo Garcia Michael Fletcher sitting in a dark room, holding up a letter which breaks down the details of his fine from Border Force, which he received in the post.Carmelo Garcia
Mr Fletcher says the first correspondence he received on the matter was "how to pay the £12,000 fine"

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Fletcher had parked the night before in the Calais registered truck stop, where the government recommends drivers should park.

A border control officer allegedly told him they had found several stowaways in vehicles that had come from that site recently.

A Home Office spokesperson 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.”

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.

More on this story
Related Internet Links