Couple Fined £1,500 After Discovering Migrant Hidden in Their Motorhome

A British couple who discovered an illegal migrant hiding under a bike-rack cover on their motorhome after returning from a holiday in France have been fined £1,500.

Adrian and Joanne Fenton had just arrived home in Heybridge, Essex, when they found the stowaway—a Sudanese national—concealed at the rear of their vehicle. Despite immediately reporting the discovery to authorities, the couple, both in their 50s, were later fined by the Home Office for failing to "check that no clandestine entrant was concealed in the vehicle."

Mrs. Fenton, whose husband is a retired firefighter, claimed that border officials in both Calais and the UK had not inspected the bike rack or its cover before or after their crossing. She insisted they had no knowledge of the migrant until they unzipped the cover upon their return.

In an email seen by the BBC, Mrs. Fenton expressed her frustration, stating: "At no point did I believe I would be fined by taking correct and moral action." She warned that such fines could discourage travellers from reporting similar incidents, adding, "This action taken by Border Force to impose a fine only encourages travellers [or] holidaymakers in this position not to call the police but to let the stowaway abscond."

The Home Office's email outlining the fine referenced asylum and immigration legislation and reiterated that the couple had failed to conduct the necessary vehicle checks. However, Mrs. Fenton has contested the fine, arguing that the migrant was technically clinging to the outside of the motorhome rather than inside it.

Their local MP, Sir John Whittingdale, has since written to Dame Angela Eagle, the border minister, requesting a review of the case. The situation bears similarities to a 2023 incident in which a retired ambulance driver and his wife were fined £6,000 after a migrant was found in a trailer attached to their motorhome. That fine was later overturned after significant public outcry.

The Fentons had returned to the UK by ferry and made the discovery at 10:15 p.m. on October 15, after a six-hour journey home. As Mr. Fenton unzipped the bike cover, he spotted the migrant and instructed his wife to call the police. Mrs. Fenton recalled offering the stowaway a bottle of water, which he accepted with a "thank you."

According to Mrs. Fenton, the migrant, who claimed to be 16, told police he was from Sudan. The Home Office has been approached for comment.

GV Hale