In response to the ongoing problems faced by lorry drivers in Calais the
RHA have set up a 24/7 incident reporting line. 0044 1274 863111
The growing number of migrants trying to gain access to the UK through the French port of Calais has resulted in lorry drivers coming under serious threat. With the new incident reporting line the RHA hope they can demonstrate to the government just how serious the situation has become on a daily basis.
Thousands of wallet-sized cards have been printed with the incident reporting line number, together with contact details for emergency services in France and the UK. The French port is support the initiative and the cards will be distributed to lorry drivers by ferry operators,
P&O and
DFDS and it is hoped that other cross-channel operators will also take part. The scheme is also being promoted by Truck & Driver magazine.
The reporting line will give
haulage companies and their drivers the opportunity to call in and officially report incidents of intimidation or incursion by migrants. Callers will be asked by their name, the nature of the accident, the exact location where the incident took place and whether there was any damage to their load or vehicle. The information will then be gathered up and passed to the Home Office and Border force teams.
The RHA’s International department, which provides advice and frequent updates of value to hauliers travelling abroad, is already receiving valuable and worrying feedback as to the extent of the problems. The 24/7 telephone line will supplement that information and the service will be available to all drivers, regardless of nationality.
RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said: “We are very concerned about the amount and scale of the reports we are receiving. They include instances of hauliers being threatened with baseball bats, while others have been subject to migrants throwing bricks off motorway bridges. We have also had several eye-witness accounts of migrants deliberately putting obstacles in the road with the sole aim of slowing vehicles down to make them more ‘accessible’.
“This is a situation that is both out of control and totally unacceptable for those who are, quite simply, doing their job. The reporting line will provide the evidence and understanding needed to ensure we get the protection that the haulage industry is entitled to expect.”