The RHA has said that HGV drivers at Calais on Thursday of last week were left unprotected when around 150 migrants attempted to board the UK bound trucks.
It said that this incident was prompted by the national strike which meant HGVs were backed up in an ‘unprotected area’ where they were ‘more vulnerable to attack’. On the same day, a migrant was killed by a lorry in a hit and run.
“We are saddened by the news that a migrant was killed but we have two questions to ask of the authorities in France,” said RHA chief executive Richard Burnett. “First, given that the queues of lorries in an unprotected area was a predictable consequence of the strike, why were measures not put in place to provide adequate security for drivers in the Calais area?
“Second, can we have firm assurance that drivers will not go unprotected when there is such a clear risk in future?
“Calais Region president Xavier Bertrand has worked hard to start to restore security and confidence in the Calais route, including the clearance of the unregulated part of the migrant camp.
“The events of the past 24 hours are a serious setback to those efforts and must not be allowed to be repeated.”
