Escalating problems with migrants at the port of Calais are having a major impact on drivers from the UK and Europe, with many fearing attack as they inspect their cabins for stowaways. The Claire Britcher from the FTA examines the problems drivers face and the wider impact on the supply chain

Migrants at the port of Calais are having a huge impact on drivers from the UK and Europe as French police and border authorities struggle to cope with ever‑increasing numbers flooding to the area.
    
Riot police have been drafted in to control the situation as dozens of new migrants arrive every day from North Africa and the Middle East, swelling numbers to around 3,000 and creating what the Freight Transport Association members have described as being like a ‘warzone.’

Delays at the port have reached unprecedented levels and the situation is expected to worsen when summer holiday traffic is added to the mix.
    
Cars and lorries are forced to queue for miles outside the port while officials carry out more rigorous checks on vehicles leaving the country in an effort to prevent stowaways concealing themselves in the back of lorries or in spaces underneath.

Risk of attack
The Freight Transport Association (FTA), whose members employ thousands of lorry drivers, says some of the responsibility for checking trucks has been unfairly passed to drivers. They risk being attacked when they get out of their cabs, but are forced to inspect their own vehicles because they face fines of £2,000 for every migrant found on board.
    
FTA has warned that the situation could have a devastating effect on the UK supply chain if the issue isn’t resolved.  
Calais plays a vital role in the UK economy, with around 10 million passengers and £89 billion worth of trade passing through the port of every year. Another 20 million travellers use the Eurostar or shuttle, but most of the port’s traffic is freight.
    
FTA has heard from members whose drivers have been threatened with knives and machetes by desperate migrants trying to board their lorries to get to the UK.
    
And while more stringent checks are welcome, waiting in line for hours puts HGV drivers in greater danger of being targeted. Plus perishable cargoes are at risk of being spoiled and time-sensitive deliveries of missing their slots, putting the UK supply chain in danger of collapse.
    
Drivers have reported waiting in line for four to five hours to get through the checks. Running a 44-tonne truck costs roughly £1 a minute, so just a one‑hour delay adds £60 in costs.  

Taking a detour
Some drivers, who fear for their own safety and worry that they will unwittingly cross the channel with stowaways on board, are avoiding Calais and travelling instead to Dunkerque and Zeebrugge – pushing up transport costs and delaying their cargoes.
    
The detours add around 100 miles to each journey. For drivers it means they avoid the migrant problem – but re-routing has its price. It costs around 52p a mile to fuel a 44-tonne truck so a 100-mile diversion adds £52 to the fuel cost.
    
French police say they have already stopped almost 20,000 migrants from illegally entering Britain so far this year compared to 14,000 for the whole of 2014. Both the ferry terminals and Eurotunnel have increased checks on vehicles prior to embarkation, which slows down the processing of vehicles and threatens the reliability of the UK supply chain to and from Europe.   
    
Drivers with perishable cargoes are missing ferry and supermarket delivery slots and retailers are refusing to accept ‘contaminated’ deliveries when stowaways have been found on board.  
  
FTA’s International Affairs Manager, Donald Armour, said all of these factors would inevitably lead to increased prices on Britain’s shelves and means the supply chain is in danger of collapsing.
    
“The UK Government really must insist on greater proactive involvement by the responsible French authorities. As more lorries are targeted, more goods are written off and the supply chain is jeopardised,” he said.

Thoughts from freight operators
FTA has carried out surveys of operators using the port with some disturbing results.  More than 70 per cent said their drivers had been threatened or intimidated by migrants and more than 85 per cent had experienced migrants trying to board their vehicles.
    
Almost all of the operators surveyed had advised drivers not to take rest breaks or fuel up near Calais and nearly two thirds had changed routes to avoid the port.
    
The UK Border Force and French authorities have a good working relationship but it is clear that resources are stretched, and FTA says more must be done as a matter of urgency. 
    
Eurotunnel and the UK ferry operators are reportedly looking at ways to increase secure parking areas in the near future, which has been welcomed by FTA. But as UK trade continues to improve, more HGVs are travelling to and from the UK. And that means the delays will get worse.
    
Amour added: “With an estimated 3,000 migrants now living rough in Calais and the surrounding area, FTA’s principle concern is the safety of drivers attempting to travel through the port and trying to avoid stowaways hitching a ride on a lorry into the UK. We don’t believe that truck drivers should be made to act as unpaid immigrations officers.” L

Further information
www.fta.co.uk