The FTA has called on Eurotunnel and the French authorities to upgrade any weak spots in their security fencing after more than 100 migrants broke into the tunnel operator’s French terminal earlier this month, causing hours of delays to passenger and freight services.
FTA international manager Don Armour said the latest incursion was “almost inevitable” and called for any weaknesses in the fencing to be addressed.
Describing the large number of migrants who gained access to the tunnel “an issue of concern”, Armour added: “We just hope it won’t occur too frequently and the weak links in the fence are upgraded. They need to look for weak parts of the infrastructure and address those problems where they find patches that need upgrading.”
RHA head of international affairs Peter Cullum said the more aggressive approach taken by migrants on this occasion was “of concern” but added that the incident appeared to be a one-off.
“This particular incident was unusual and we’re hoping the French will have found ways of dealing with it,” he said.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Home Office has confirmed that the government is now working with the haulage sector to refresh the two codes of practice governing the clandestine civil penalty regime for freight vehicles.
“It is over ten years since these codes were introduced and it is in all our interest to ensure they are as fair and effective as they can be and take proper account of developments in industry,” she said in a written statement.
The move was announced after a Home Office-hosted international truck security conference in Brussels in late September.
