Northampton based transport company fined £66,000 after 'six migrants entered the UK via one of its lorries'

A Northampton based UK and European transport company has been fined £66,000 after one of its lorries was ‘used by migrants to enter the UK’.

EM Rogers has been fined £66,000 by the UK Government after six migrants smuggled into the UK via one of its lorries, with the driver also being fined £36,000.

However, director of EM Rogers, Ed Rogers, says his firm was targeted by organised crime gangs.

In a Facebook post now shared thousands of times, Mr Rogers said: “Our family business has been fined £66k for bringing in migrants to the UK..“We have been operating for nearly 80 years. Two years ago we were considered ‘key workers’ and now, well, who knows what people think of our industry. “However we have been fined this frankly ridiculous amount of money for honestly doing our job, alongside our driver who has been fined £36,000.

"UK Border Force is fining us for bringing six migrants over in one of our trucks.

"We are actually the victims of organised gangs that target vulnerable lorry drivers whilst they sleep. Can you imagine having your house broken into at night and then being fined for it?

"Please see the photo of one of our trucks in Calais attacked by people trying to get to the UK.“What I’m hoping is that someone can help me get this to the national press to create enough noise so that this ridiculous situation gets dealt with and quashed.“Please remember a good honest working man and a family business have been the victims of crime here, and fined for doing it.”

Mr Rogers’ story was put to the Home Office. A spokeswoman said: “We are relentless in our pursuit of those who seek to enter the UK illegally, and stand ready to respond robustly to clandestine arrivals.

“Far too many vehicles are not adequately secured to stop migrants boarding them. That’s why, in the last 12 months, we have strengthened the haulier civil penalty with significantly increased financial penalties to ensure that drivers are taking every reasonable step to deter illegal migration and disrupt people smugglers.”