Smuggled - channel 4

Linda said:
We have been searched a couple of times coming back after 3 months away, including by a very burly man with a gun. He insisted we open the drop down bed - we both laughed but opened it - he smiled and left.
Another occasion we were directed into the customs shed in Dover on the way out. Official had a quick look and asked if we had any knives...... we didn't show him the kitchen knives, just Lee's penknife.
I watched that last bit of that programme - were that the official didn't pick up. We have always been asked to look at them.....
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We where asked
about knives as well when leaving from Portsmouth I did mention there was a kitchen behind the guy, and I think he had duh moment, assumed he must have come from airport security, agree like others we have had security on board but very cursory inspection never asked to look in any lockers or the obvious garage, could have had a whole family in there.
 
Came back this year without passports on the tunnel, the passports had been stolen. I was really bricking it but had no problem getting through. We did have our passport numbers which helped I guess but I did think they would search us but no just waived us through.
 
They probably have some thermal cameras set up to spot extra people in a vehicle. You're just hiding them with all your insulation :)
 
On our return from Ouistreham last year, not in our camper, the motor home in front of us began to attract a lot of attention. Security on their knees looking under the vehicle. Eventually 2 young lads emerged from under the chassis. We saw a lot of, what appeared to be, male migrants hanging around the industrial estates where accommodation such as formules etc are located. I just felt so sorry for these 2 who were willing to risk so much.😢
 
ChrisK said:
On our return from Ouistreham last year, not in our camper, the motor home in front of us began to attract a lot of attention. Security on their knees looking under the vehicle. Eventually 2 young lads emerged from under the chassis. We saw a lot of, what appeared to be, male migrants hanging around the industrial estates where accommodation such as formules etc are located. I just felt so sorry for these 2 who were willing to risk so much.😢
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Yes , may have posted this before , saw lorry being emptied in Calais (?) a few years ago .
20+ oriental (Chinese Vietnamese) people sitting on the concrete . I know it's illegal etc but you would have to be inhuman not to feel sorry for these people . One of the saddest sights I've seen . Given recent events I suppose , at least they were alive
 
A couple or three years ago Sue and I did a coach tour along the Rhine as our golden wedding treat (something that we will never do again, anyway) At the end of the trip we changed coaches in Calais and cleared customs, but during the process we noticed that our tour coach had been pulled over and police with dogs were very interested in it. It transpired that an illegal had tied himself underneath near the engine at some point in the journey, but sadly had not survived the trip.
 
One of the guys from another forum I was on used to work at border control in the uk and basically said how saddening the job was to deal with such desperate people on a daily basis. He made it clear that these are human beings with real families in desperate conditions. The way they are portrayed in the papers is quite disgusting.

A few years ago the tabloids were banging on about the crowds at the fences at Calais. Odd, because we were parked up at the tunnel entrance and there was no sign of them.

I am amazed that so many come all the way to the UK though when they come from so far away with so many suitable countries in between.
 
I've only been stopped once and that was before leaving the UK,a customs guy got in opened the toilet door and that was it,I could've had half a dozen people trying to escape the UK in other hiding places.
 
Asterix said:
I've only been stopped once and that was before leaving the UK,a customs guy got in opened the toilet door and that was it,I could've had half a dozen people trying to escape the UK in other hiding places.
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Was actually stopped going from Spain into France near Andorra . Douane , very pugnacious woman , wouldn't believe I had only bought tomatoes at Spanish supermarket .
She opened toilet door and left , dog left with her . It was extremely ripe
 
Last four or five times we have been stopped and searched. Armed soldier checked everywhere last year including the shower, toilet and both sides of the garage. We even had to put the dog on a lead and take her outside. This year on our usual route through Calais just drove through. Uk Border Force were checking a few vehicles and the French had stopped a Uk registered estate car and taken the driver off somewhere. They cannot watch everywhere.
 
We have been stopped in Calais at the tunnel port and had someone do a cursory check inside. I estimated that we could have had 6-8 immigrants in the MH in places that he didnt look!

Interestingly enough, a few weeks ago we were crossing from Italy into France via the Petit St Bernard Pass and 100m or so into France, there was a Gendarme car and 2 cops who waved us over. They wanted to see all or documents (drivers licence, V5 and Insurance) and then they had a look inside. They were more thorough that the Customs boys. They were very pleasant about it and we reckoned they were just bored doing that all day so stopped us for a chat (their English was very good).

We found it strange that they were doing border checks there of all places and between Italy and France!

Graham
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We were checked going out from Portsmouth a couple of years ago, climbed in the van asked about sharp knives, and left again. customs officer said I know you have knives, it’s a motorhome, but I have to ask as part of the routine. No look in any cupboard or the toilet!
 
Mark B said:
We were checked going out from Portsmouth a couple of years ago, climbed in the van asked about sharp knives, and left again. customs officer said I know you have knives, it’s a motorhome, but I have to ask as part of the routine. No look in any cupboard or the toilet!
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It must be one of their rules CHECK FOR KNIVES ?? we had EXACTLY the same search going to Germany this year at Harwich, she asked if she could come in, looked around, nowhere in particular, not in any cupboards, wardrobe or toilet, just asked have you any knives ? I did say a drawer full, but she weren't interested
 
we get out of the country OK with the grandson but on the way back a thousand questions no problem getting him out the country it's getting him back in
bill
 
We have been stopped and searched once, just a week ago when we crossed from Bulgaria into Greece. Greek border policeman came into the van, checked no one was hiding in the toilet and said hello to our two spaniels.
 
We have been stopped with a cursory inspection quite a few times at Dover, usually when we’ve arrived early for a ferry. Once, we were asked if we were carrying knives or sharp objects, a bit tricky to answer when you have a kitchen utensil drawer. If you use Eurotunnel they check that your gas cylinders are shut off, which means back doors open in our case. The strangest one we had was coming over the Pyrenees from Spain to France and being waved down in a village by armed customs officers, who asked our destination in French. My brain froze and I said we were headed for Calais, 700 miles away. They waved us on, equally bemused.
 
Border police came into my van with a dog when I was returning from Copenhagen via Hook of Holland. I was on my own as family had flown back so might have seemed a bit odd.
 
wildbill said:
we get out of the country OK with the grandson but on the way back a thousand questions no problem getting him out the country it's getting him back in
bill
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We have had problems getting out of the Country with our Granddaughter because her surname is different to ours, the first time she was only 6 or 7 and they asked her if she knew who she was with, she didn't understand the question and said no, we were told to pull to one side and asked a lot of questions, our daughter had to email a letter confirming we had permission to take her, we didn't mind it is better to be safe than sorry
 
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