Great-grandfather must pay £6,000 after returning from Calais | UK

A great-grandfather has been ordered to pay a whopping £6,000 in fines after a migrant was found hiding in a trailer attached to his converted camper.

Retired ambulance driver Peter Hughes has just 60 days to collect the large sum of money after French border troops found the man during checks at the port of Calais.

Speak with Manchester Evening News (MEN), Peter, 75, expressed how “obscene” it is that he has to pay for the enforcement measures.

The pensioner dedicated his life to helping others while working in an ambulance, and received an anniversary award from the North West Ambulance Service, where he met the late Queen Elizabeth. After 21 years he retired in 2000.

Peter said he and his wife, Anne, 78, were completely unaware of the young Sudanese man hiding in their caravan. He told MEN they were ready to fully cooperate with authorities on any occasion.

The couple were waiting to board a ferry back home to Britain after a camping holiday in Europe and France with their beloved dog.

Peter believes the migrant was put into his caravan when the pair stopped at a supermarket near the port of Calais in France to pick up groceries before traveling home.

A “foot and a leg” was seen sticking out of the trailer’s cover before French police were called to the scene.

Upon their return home to Tameside, England, Peter was shocked to discover that a letter had been sent to their home informing him that he was under investigation. The former ambulance technician said he complied with what was required of him and completed all relevant paperwork.

He and his wife Anne, a retired carer, desperately tried to tell the Home Office that they knew nothing about the man’s alleged attempt to enter Britain.

However, on Saturday Peter received an undated letter from the Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Team – part of the UK Border Force – telling him that the “Secretary of State has decided” that he is “guilty of a £6,000 fine.” .

The letter dates the incident to May 7, along with Peter’s vehicle registration details, stating: “The vehicle index described above was found to contain a total of one person, with each person being either a clandestine participant, or a hidden person being a clandestine participant. was found by an authorized search agency.”

The notice states that it is issued under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999: The Carriers’ Liability Regulations 2002.

The letter states that Peter has fully complied with British Border Force regulations, but accuses the 75-year-old of failing to check the trailer before the couple reached immigration control.

“No standard checks were carried out on the vehicle or trailer as soon as practicable before reaching immigration controls. Therefore, the driver did not comply with this regulation,” the report said, but added that there was “no reason to suspect that a relevant event had occurred.” Peter’s part.

Peter said he would appeal and write to his MP: Angela Raynerwho is Deputy Prime Minister, as well as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.

Speaking to MEN, he said: “I didn’t sleep worrying – it really affected me. I think it’s obscene. I feel like I’m getting screwed – I’m just the average Joe on the street.

“We assume it happened in the supermarket car park as we traveled to Calais from the south of France and slept in the van overnight at a petrol station.

“When I got back from the supermarket I had to walk past my trailer and if there had been any evidence of tampering with the cover I would definitely have noticed it. My wife is registered as disabled and I am no spring chicken.”

Commenting on the fine, Peter said: “£6,000, absolutely not. I can’t accept paying that.”

The retired paramedic says the only good that can come from the situation is to warn others that it can happen to anyone.

Express.co.uk has contacted the Border Force for comment.