Man who caught migrants in the back of his lorry still in limbo over huge Border Force fine

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 Saturday 16 September 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 said officers advised him that he had done all the necessary checks, so he was shocked to receive a letter from Border Force in February demanding payment of £12,000.

Driver forced to change his job and only work within the UK

They claimed in the letter that Mr Fletcher couldn't produce a checklist at the time.

After disputing this, and providing a photograph which shows his checklist, Border Force is now seeking payment for a reduced fine of £3,000.

Mr Fletcher said 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 said he is stressed by the situation, and has changed his job in the meantime so that he only works in transportation within the UK.

Mr Fletcher raised the issue with his county councillor Philip Robinson (Con, Mitcheldean) earlier this year who suggested he speak with his then MP, Mark Harper.

The previous Conservative MP raised the issue with then Home Secretary James Cleverly who was in the process of looking into the issue.

This stalled after Parliament was dissolved and Mr Harper lost his seat, so is no longer dealing with his case. He said he has since been unable to get the new Forest of Dean MP Matt Bishop to solve his case.

Mr Fletcher said he still doesn’t know what’s going to happen with the fine, and he feels like he is "in limbo."

'I want them to take the mark off my passport' - Michael Fletcher

He said he needs the issue to be resolved so that he can continue working in Europe.

He said: "Nobody’s said anything and I think they want it to go quiet so nobody knows and then come back at me later. 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 said his office has contacted Mr Fletcher many times and has 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. Drivers who are actively involved in people smuggling will still 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 on 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.

Credit: Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporting Service