Border Force has sparked fury when it fined a driver £6,000 after officials found a migrant who hid in his motorhome.
The retired ambulance worker, 75, was making his way back home with his wife, 78, when the French authorities found the hidden Sudanese migrant in his vehicle at the Port of Calais in northern France.
The couple claimed that they were unaware of the stowaway while they were preparing to catch a ferry back to the UK, following their camping holiday across Europe.
The great-grandfather said that he and his wife suspected that the migrant might have concealed himself in the trailer when they stopped at a nearby supermarket, stocking up for the journey ahead.
The couple insisted that they were unaware of the stowaway while they were preparing to catch a ferry back to the UK (Stock)
PA
Recounting the shocking discovery at border control in May, Hughes explained that the French officials wanted to check everything, which he understood was standard practice.
He said: "I unhooked the straps from the cover - then there was a foot and a leg."
Before he received the fine, one of the officers at the scene in Calais assured Hughes that he would not face any further issues.
However, the 75-year-old was later sent a letter that explained that he was being investigated - which he said he complied fully to, completing the necessary forms as he continued to insist to Home Office officials that he and his wife were completely unaware of the man that had been discovered in his trailer.
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Then, Hughes was sent a letter from a separate part of Border Force, known as the "Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Team", informing him that the "Secretary of State has decided" that he was "liable to a penalty of £6,000."
The letter detailed the argument that claimed that the fine had been issued under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999: The Carriers' Liability Regulations 2002, saying that "no standard checks were completed on the vehicle or trailer as soon as practicable before reaching immigration controls".
Refusing to pay the extortionate fee, Hughes said that he would appeal to his local MP, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner - whose team have said that they would look into his case - along with the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper.
Hughes said: "I have not slept with worry - it has really affected me. I think it's obscene. I feel that I am being screwed - I am just the average Joe in the street.
The migrant concealed himself in Hughes' motorhome trailer (Stock)
Getty"We presume it happened in the supermarket car park, as we travelled to Calais from the south of France and slept in the van overnight in a services station.
"When I returned from the supermarket I had to walk past my trailer and had there been any evidence of tampering with the cover, I'm sure I would have noticed."
He said that the "only good thing" to have come out of the incident has been to issue a warning to other travellers who might fall victim to the same situation as "this could happen to anyone".
He added: "You try to be a good citizen and help others - which is what I have done - and now this happens. It's just completely out of order and not on. We just do not know what to do."
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Scheme is designed to secure our border, target negligence, and ensure drivers take every reasonable step to deter irregular migration.
“We understand that recipients of penalties may disagree with the circumstances of the fine. The option to appeal and trigger a review is made clear in supporting documents, as we aim to achieve a fair resolution for both parties.”
