Brits have been fined an astonishing £30million in just a year and a half for accidentally ferrying illegal immigrants across the channel in their vehicles, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Travellers have been slapped with thousands of pounds in fines under an obscure and highly controversial scheme designed to crack down on the waves of illegal migrants sneaking into the country.
Drivers can be fined up to £10,000 for each illegal migrant found hiding in their vehicle when they return to the UK under the scheme – even if they were unaware of their existence.
They can also be handed a £6,000 fine if they vehicle is not ‘adequately secured’ – even if no migrant is found.
The penalties have been harshly criticised for punishing law-abiding citizens who report illegal migrants they discover and open themselves up for bumper fines.
While those who don’t report the illegal migrants, allowing them to freely leave their vehicles, avoid the prospect of a harsh penalty.
The Daily Mail previously revealed that £25,662,299 in fines had been dished out by the home office under the Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Scheme between 1 January 2024 and March this year.
By the end of June that figure had shot up to £30,983,102, with no further successful penalty appeals, figures obtained from a Freedom of Information request show.
That comes despite criticism over the policy penalizing right-minded citizens, with Sir Keir Starmer even forced to intervene in one case after significant public backlash.
Although 6,825 fines have been imposed, just one person has been succesful in getting their punishment rescinded since the beginning of last year. There have been 140 unsuccesful appeals.
Hauliers have typically been the target of most fines and coach companies can pre-emptively sign up for ‘membership’ of a civil penalty accreditation scheme which entitles them to a 50 per cent reduction in fines.
The fines come as the Government attempts to crack down on illegal immigration, including small boat crossings, but rather than punishing smugglers, it is innocent Brits, wholly unaware of any wrongdoing, who have been penalized under the scheme.
One public spirited couple were punished for reporting a stowaway in their van – sparking widespread astonishment and the intervention of the prime minister.
Adrian and Joanne Fenton, from Heybridge, Essex, were fined £1,500 by the Home Office in March after reporting a migrant in their motorhome after returning from France.
The couple were shocked to find a Sudanese man inside a bag covering a bike rack on their motorhome after a long drive back from Calais and immediately called the police, who took the man away for processing.
Yet just over two months later, the pair were issued with the fine for failing to ‘check that no clandestine entrant was concealed’ in the camper van.
Mr Fenton appealed to Border Force by making a ‘notice of objection’ detailing why he believed the penalty was unfair.
While their fine was waived after growing public pressure, their ‘liability’ remained.
A letter from Border Force said: ‘The written notice of objection has been carefully considered and the Secretary of State has decided that your liability stands.
‘However, after review of the case by a senior officer the level of penalty per clandestine entrant or person concealed being a clandestine entrant has been revised to UK £0.
They are not the only innocent couple to unknowingly end up on the wrong side of the law, with a retired ambulance service worker previously warning Brits to be on high alert during Channel crossings.
Great-grandfather Peter Hughes, 75, from Droylsden, Tameside, was initially fined a staggering £6,000 after a Sudanese man was found hiding inside his small camping trailer at the Port of Calais in France.
After an appeal accompanied by substantial political and media pressure, this sum was eventually reduced to £150 – which he begrudgingly paid despite he and his wife, Anne, knowing nothing about the migrant’s existence.
Since the beginning of last year, 12,320 fines totalling £14,676,894.84 have been paid, although some of these were imposed previously.
Only one appeal of 141 penalties has been successful.
That triumphant appeal saw the Home Office rescind a Kent couple’s £3,000 fine after they unwittingly drove two Sudanese migrants through Calais in their campervan.
Lisa Russell and Geoff Evans were stopped by border officers in France on their return from holiday and were slapped with the penalty despite having ‘no idea’ a man and teenager were hidden in the bike rack of their van.
But their appeal, the only successful one in an 18-month period, saw the Border Force ‘exercising general discretion’ and remove their penalty.
A letter from Border Force said: ‘Following a review of the case we have decided to revise the penalty, and conclude that you have demonstrated, to the extent required, that you complied with the regulations.
‘The Secretary of State has chosen to exercise general discretion and exceptionally, on this occasion, your penalty has been reduced to £0.’
Others have had their fines reduced with one haulage company paying £7,566 after an original £48,000 bill.
Around 5,000 ‘clandestine entrants’ were found last year at UK border controls in Calais, Coquelles and Dunkirk, according to a report by the immigration and borders watchdog. Inevitably, others would have managed to evade checks.
Meanwhile, more than 25,000 migrants have arrived in the UK via small boats in 2025, a record at this stage of the year.
A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘We are fully committed to stopping people from illegally entering the country and cracking down on people smugglers.
‘It’s against the law to help someone enter the UK illegally, which is why the Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Scheme is there to ensure drivers take every reasonable step to deter illegal migration.’
