£40,434 reduction in fine for clandestine entrants

03 June 2024

Our Dispute Resolution Team have secured another substantial reduction in fines for clandestine entrants, representing an 84% overall reduction in the initial fine imposed by Border Force.

A Haulage Company was found with 4 clandestine entrants concealed in their vehicle. Consequently, Border Force imposed a penalty on both the Company and the Driver in the amount of £6,000 per clandestine entrant, totalling an overall fine of £48,000, for which the Company was jointly and severally liable to pay.

We filed a Notice of Objection maintaining that Company complied with all the necessary Regulations to prevent authorised access to their vehicle, together with financial means documentation appealing on the financial impact the fines would have on both the Company and the Driver.

Border Force considered our Notice of Objection and applied the means assessment and determined that the overall fine should be reduced from £48,000 to £7,566.

This result is just one of the many successful outcomes the Team have received in recent months. Please contract our Commercial Litigation here if you would like to discuss further.

This article was written by Libby Pritchard, an Associate Director in our dispute resolution team.  Research was under taken by Kai Leyland.