Dutch transporter stops UK trips over stowaways
Dutch transport company Reining Transport decided to stop all trips to England due to stowaways. According to the company, people trying to sneak onto trucks at Calais are becoming increasing aggressive, and drivers are no longer safe, the Telegraaf reports.
According to Reining director Gerrit Hes, his drivers are threatened with sticks and stones. "I'm not waiting for the first death or serious injury", he said to the Telegraaf, referring to a Polish trucker being killed in a crash caused by undocumented migrants in Ethiopia over the summer. They blocked the road with logs.
The company is also dealing with financial losses caused by stowaways in Calais. The company faces fines of up to 900 euros per stowaway, according to Hes. If it involves a food transport, the cargo is often rejected as "migrants do their business between the products", he said, according to the newspaper. And submitting claims to the insurer, increases the company's premiums. According to Hes, stowaways already cost Reining around 300 thousand euros in damages.
Reining, based in Kolham in Groningen, is the first large Dutch transporter to halt trips to the United Kingdom for this reason. The company employs 500 people and has a turnover of around 55 million euros annually.
