RHA disappointed at lack of government response to Calais crisis
The Road Haulage Association fully supports the letters from Calais President Xavier Bertrand to Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande asking for the issue of disruptive migrant activity at Calais to be officially put on the agenda of the Franco-British Summit in Amiens on March 3rd and his call for an emergency plan be implemented as soon as possible.
Commenting, RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said: “Xavier Bertrand has raised this issue at the highest government levels and it certainly appears that his request for action is being acknowledged on both sides of the Channel. For that reason alone I find it disappointing that despite our best efforts, and frequent meetings with the Home Office team, our calls for urgent action, and regular invitations to Ministers and senior Civil Servants to visit the Port of Calais have received very little response.
“This issue is becoming all consuming”, continued Richard Burnett. “The cost to both the UK and French economy as a whole since the Calais crisis began has been massive. In particular, the financial losses suffered by UK-bound hauliers on a daily basis as a result of migrants climbing on-board trucks and damaging loads has cost transport operators and their customers millions of pounds. In addition, the emotional, and often physical cost to HGV drivers has been considerable. We regularly hear of drivers who quite simply refuse to travel through this critical freight route because they no longer want to put their lives at risk. And why should they?.”
