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Fewer trucks hit Eurotunnel profits

Eurotunnel has set a target of regaining a 38pc share of the cross-Channel trucking market after a year in which a fire in the tunnel and the economic downturn caused profits to tumble.

Trading profits fell 34pc to €161m (£146m) on revenues down 16pc to €571m, with the Channel Tunnel operator scraping a net profit of €1.4m versus €34m last time.

Jacques Gounon, chairman and chief executive, said the figures demonstrated "resilience in the face of difficulties", with the fire on September 11, 2008, causing the tunnel to remain partially closed until February 9, 2009. The year ended with more chaos when Eurostar trains broke down in icy weather.

The fire closure caused particular headaches for Eurotunnel because it coincided with the period when its core trucking customers renew their annual contracts. Some hauliers switched to ferries, with truck shuttle volumes falling 39pc over the year in a cross-channel market down 20pc against 2007.

John Keefe, Eurotunnel's communications chief, said the company's share of the trucking market fell to just 24pc at the start of 2009 – though it had recovered to 32pc by the year end.

"We are targeting a return to 38pc by the end of this year," Mr Keefe said. "It's a long haul back because the ferry companies are putting on very competitive prices."

Eurotunnel is seeking €200m-€250m from its insurers for damage and business interruption caused by the fire. Aside from €10m already received, the latest figures include a €69m payment. Receipt of a further €59m due has been delayed, however, by a French court after France's SNCF and Eurostar made their own claims against Eurotunnel's insurers. Mr Gounon is confident that Eurotunnel will get the money.

The financial restructuring masterminded by Mr Gounon in 2007, which was followed up by further measures to reduce borrowings, has brought down Eurotunnel's debts from €9.4bn to €3.65bn today. Last year's interest bill fell by €62m to €195m.

Mr Gounon is exploring ways to exploit the company's €2.3bn tax losses in France and €2.68bn of trading losses and €1.43bn of capital allowances in the UK.

The dividend is held at 4 cents. The shares fell 4 cents to €7.66.

Source: Telegraph

British commercial vehicle hire users 'safer than foreign counterparts'

The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has expressed its support of a new report, which states that British commercial vehicle hire users are safer on the roads than those from abroad.

Particularly pleasing to the RHA is the acknowledgement of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, which completed the report, that foreign lorry and truck operators contribute little to the British economy and present significant difficulties in terms of policing.

Geoff Dunning, chief executive of the RHA, says: "Until May 2009 foreign operators had a free ride. No penalties were imposed, in practice, unless someone was actually killed. Today’s report highlights that … there is still work to be done."

Mr Dunning adds that the RHA is also pleased the report highlights the higher rate of tax paid by UK-based commercial vehicle hire users.

One of the biggest threats to safety on Britain's roads is tiredness, according to a recent report by Fleet News.

Source: Hitachi Capital

Immigrants jump into police hands at Semington

Three illegal immigrants from Afghanistan were arrested by police after jumping out of a lorry in Semington – just yards away from Wiltshire Police’s divisional HQ.

A man and two boys were found on the A350 by the Semington Road roundabout after getting out of the back of a French lorry that was delivering to the Great Bear company in Portal Road, a distribution centre for Staverton firm Cereal Partners UK, on Tuesday.

Sergeant Melanie Rolph, of the Melksham Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “They were rumbled when the lorry driver opened the back of the lorry and a pair of gloves fell out. He quickly closed it, so they slashed a hole in the side of the curtain and jumped out and ran.”

Five police cars were involved in the half-hour search along the Semington bypass for the three fugitives, who were discovered just before noon. The trio were arrested under suspicion of being illegal immigrants, taken to Melksham police station and later handed to UK Border Control.

A worker at Great Bear Distribution, who didn’t want to be named, said: “The driver of a Norbert Dentressangle lorry from France noticed three people leave the back of his lorry.”

He said there was another incident in early 2009 at the firm involving illegal immigrants being found in a lorry.

The two boys have since been placed in the care of Wiltshire Council’s social services department, which could have a legal duty to look after them until they are 18.

A Wiltshire Council spokesman said: “We have a responsibility to assess the ages of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children found in Wiltshire.

“Two young people have been taken into the care of Wiltshire Council while the situation is being investigated. We are liaising with the Department of Immigration and working with the UK Border Agency.” The man has applied for asylum and is on immigration bail until his case is heard.

Source: Wiltshire Times

Leicestershire police hunt for lorry stowaways

Organized criminal gangs which force illegal migrants to work in poor conditions for a few pounds a day could be operating in Leicestershire.

UK Border Agency officials yesterday searched lorries for illegal immigrants at Leicester Forest East services, on the M1, as part of a national operation.

Officers said many of the illegal immigrants would end up virtual slaves, trapped into paying off the fee – which could be several thousand euros – for being smuggled into the country.

Many workers would be forced to work for a few pounds a day – and have much of that deducted by bosses and traffickers.

Phil Dyer, a senior manager from the agency's immigration team at Castle Donington, spoke during the operation at Leicester Forest East.

It was part of a nationwide crackdown at 27 sites across the country, codenamed Operation Mermaid.

He said: "This is the extreme end of things where people are being treated like modern-day slaves, working in poor and dangerous conditions for long days and coming out with very little money.

"It is exploitation at the highest point of the scale.

"We have recently prosecuted a firm in Derbyshire and we know it goes on elsewhere in the East Midlands."

He said the most unscrupulous employers charged workers to use the tools they needed, for accommodation and, in some cases, fined them for spending too long in the toilet.

He said: "These people then find themselves trapped in a debt bondage.

"They can't leave because they don't have the money, because they fear possible repercussions and they have no one to turn to."

Border agency officers used the operation to gather intelligence from drivers and catch up with haulage companies, which had been caught carrying illegal immigrants but not paid fines.

A number of drivers were detained.

Immigration minister Phil Woolas MP visited the Leicestershire operation.

He said it reminded haulage firms of their responsibilities, and the penalties.

He said: "It also serves to hammer home to would-be illegal migrants and organised smuggling gangs that we will catch them."

No stowaways were found yesterday, but last year 31 Leicestershire businesses were raided, resulting in penalties totalling £430,000.

Between last April and January this year, 76 illegal workers were arrested during 36 raids in Leicestershire.

Mr Dyer said: "Quite clearly, there's a duty on us to make sure we are removing illegal workers from employment in order that local workers get the opportunity to take these jobs."

Source: This is leicestershire

Man dies after crashing into truck

A 20-year-old Salford man has died in a road smash in the early hours of Saturday.

The man, from Cadishead, was driving a Ford Transit van when it was in collision with an HGV lorry on the A57 in Rixton, Cheshire.

He was declared dead at the scene, near the junction of Chapel Lane.

The HGV driver escaped with minor injuries after the crash, at around 12.05am, police said.

Anyone with information should call Cheshire Police on 01244 613813.

Source: Manchester Evening News

More than 400 lawn mowers stolen in Gloucestershire

More than 400 lawn mowers were stolen from an articulated lorry parked in a lay-by on the A417 in Gloucestershire.

Police said the offenders forced their way into the rear of the vehicle and stole 12 pallets of 1,000 watt Gardenline electric lawn mowers.

It happened between 1000 GMT on Wednesday and 0600 GMT on Thursday next to the southbound carriageway, near the Cirencester exit.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the theft to come forward.

Source: BBC News

Driver escapes car 'demolished' in York pile-up

Firefighters had to cut through the car's roof to free the driver

A car driver has had what firefighters described as a "remarkable" escape after his vehicle was crushed under a truck in a pile-up near York.

The 28-year-old suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries in the crash on the A64 late on Monday night.

He was trapped when a lorry shunted his car under a recovery truck. The 39-year-old lorry driver was arrested.

Fire service manager Trevor Lund said the injured man's car was "in effect demolished" in the incident.

"It's one of the most remarkable escape stories I have seen in 28 years," he said.

We had to physically lift the truck off the car and drag the car out

Trevor Lund

The incident happened as vehicles were queuing at temporary traffic lights outside the Highwayman Cafe near Stockton on the Forest.

The driver, who is from the York area, was eventually cut free from his wrecked VW Lupo after a two-hour rescue operation. He is being treated at York District Hospital.

"We had to physically lift the truck off the car and drag the car out from underneath using winches and cranes," said Mr Lund.

The A64 was closed for nine hours, causing disruption to morning rush-hour traffic, as police examined the scene.

Anyone who witnessed the collision is urged to contact North Yorkshire Police.

The driver of the German-registered lorry, who was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, remains in police custody, a force spokesman said.

Source: BBC NEWS

Police on the scent of deodorant thieves

Police are appealing for information after body spray was stolen from a lorry on the A1.

Thieves slashed the side of a curtain-side lorry parked on the A1 at North Witham between 11pm on Thursday and 6am today.

They took 17 pallets of body spray and car freshener of various brands.

The offenders would have needed another vehicle to transport the pallets. Police are appealing for anyone who saw any suspicious activity in lay-bys in the area to get in touch with them as soon as possible.

Police are also appealing for information after a sat nav was stolen from a car in Stamford.

Thieves forced open the door of a silver Ford KA, which was parked in Back Lane, Stamford, between 8pm on Wednesday and 7am the following morning. They stole Garmin sat nav and a pair of sunglasses.

Source: Stamford Mercury

Lorry spills its load

A lorry overturned spilling straw bales onto electricity cables in a village near Shrewsbury.

The incident resulted in the live cables ending up on the B4386 Montgomery Road near to the Cock Inn, Brockton, near Worthen, yesterday.

Fire crews from Minsterley were called at about 11.30am and were on standby while the road was closed by police and an electrical engineer called.

A spokesman for West Mercia Police said nobody was injured. He said: “A lot of straw came down over electrical cables and brought them down live on the road.

“The road was closed at the junction between the B4386 and the Binweston turn.”

The road reopened at about 1.30pm.

Source: shropshirestar

M1 crash woman wants to trace good samaritan

A WOMAN who cheated death when her car smashed into a central reservation is looking for the man who came to her rescue.

Gemah Lambert lost control of her black Vauxhall Corsa when it skidded on black ice on the M1 in the early hours of the morning.

But the 22-year-old amazingly escaped serious injury and walked away from the accident, even though the vehicle was a mangled mess after bouncing off the metal central reservation.

Shaken and in shock, Gemah managed to get the car over to the hard shoulder where she clambered out.

But help was on hand in the form of a lorry driver who had seen the accident and pulled over 100 yards ahead.

The Asda HGV driver took Gemah into his vehicle, calmed her down, rang her dad and the police and then gave her coffee and talked to her while officers arrived.

And now Gemah, of McNamara Road, Wallsend, is desperate to find the man who helped her – who she knows only as Peter – to thank him for his generosity and help.

Gemah, a dancer at Players bar in the Gate, Newcastle, had been driving home from Sheffield at around 3am on Wednesday, February 10, when her car struck the ice.

She said: “I was driving north when my car suddenly started swerving until suddenly I was facing backwards along the road, then it swerved again.

“In a split second, I knew I was going to hit the central reservation so I straightened my arms and prepared for the impact.

“It was frightening but it happened so quickly. I remember the car hitting the central reservation and eventually coming to a stop. I think I had my eyes closed when it actually hit.

“I panicked as the car was on the road but I managed to start it and get it across to the hard shoulder.

“I remember missing a lorry by a couple of inches and I saw it had pulled up ahead.

“I got out shaking and ran up to it, thinking I had hit him and I immediately started apologising. But the driver told me I had missed him. He could see I was in some state and he straight away started to try and calm me down.

“I tried to phone my dad but I couldn’t because I was so upset and in shock. So the driver took me into his lorry and phoned my dad for me and told him where we were. He then rang the police.

“I then heard him on the phone to his boss. I think he was getting in trouble for stopping and he was telling him he wasn’t leaving me on my own. He then went into a bag and got some sachets of coffee and made me a coffee with a flask of hot water.

“He sat with me until the police arrived and then left. I only know his name was Peter because it was on his Asda name tag. He went totally out of his way to help me and I really want to thank him.”

Gemah crashed just before the first turning from the A1 for Newton Aycliffe. She narrowly avoided hitting Peter’s lorry as they were side-by-side when she started to skid.

“The police saw the car and instantly said I was lucky to be alive – it was a mess,” added Gemah. “I feel really lucky. My dad gave me a huge hug when he saw the car. It could have been so much worse.

“I walked away with just whip lash. I remember the lorry driver at the time saying he couldn’t believe it when he saw the car door open and me get out – he thought I would be seriously injured.

“Also, I’m a dancer, so any injuries I would have got would have impacted significantly on my job.

“I couldn’t believe it when I saw the car at the garage the next day. It was completely crumpled, I got a real shock. It was completely written off.

“I really want to find Peter to say thank you for his help. He really was lovely. I can remember he was about 40-50, with short, dark hair.”

Do you know who Peter is? If so call Sara Nichol on 0191 201 6027.

Source: Evening Chronicle