Road Haulage Association's chief condemns people traffickers

Today's news that 52 stowaways have been found on board two trucks in Kent comes as no surprise to the Road Haulage Association. Commenting, RHA chief executive Richard Burnett (RHARichardB) said: “Stowaways remain a massive problem for the road haulage industry and for trade between the UK and Europe, which is not going to go away. “We urgently need to gather information on where and how these stowaways are getting into trucks and the criminal gangs behind these activities.” The RHA is working closely with UK Border Force to gather as much information as possible and has set up an free, multi-lingual reporting line. This means that drivers who suspect they have stowaways on board their vehicles, who have been subjected to attacks or who have any other useful information can report it – this includes any intelligence on the activity of criminal gangs. Drivers are urged to call the Incident Reporting Line on (+44) 1274 863111. Calls are free and will be treated in absolute confidence. Concluding, Richard Burnett said: “Stowaways and criminal gangs pose a hugely difficult challenge that we cannot ignore. In the meantime, hauliers must do all they reasonably can to protect their drivers and their loads and we expect UK Border Force and the authorities in Europe to do the same. We need to work together to make this as effective as possible.”