Couple fined for stowaway call for system overhaul

A couple who were fined £1,500 for unknowingly bringing a migrant into the UK have called for the system to be overhauled.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has asked the Home Office to review its action after Adrian and Joanne Fenton found the intruder after driving from France to their home in Essex.

Retired firefighter Mr Fenton said: "When you call the police, you don't expect to be fined for what you think is doing the right thing."

The Home Office said penalties were "designed to target negligence rather than criminality".

A spokeswoman added it was reviewing an objection made by Mr and Mrs Fenton.

The couple, who live in Heybridge, called the police after finding the intruder hidden inside the cover of a bike rack on their motorhome on 15 October.

It followed a six-hour drive from France, entering the UK via ferry.

Speaking during Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir said he was "concerned" to hear what had happened and stressed it was "important" the case was looked into.

Mr Fenton, 57, said it was "absolutely fantastic" to hear the prime minister was aware of the dispute.

"We're very pleased it has now reached that level," he told BBC Essex. "We don't feel holidaymakers should be brought into this process.

"The ultimate goal for us is it shifts away from holidaymakers and they change the process."

The ongoing row inspired a YouGov poll, which asked more than 4,500 British adults if they thought the fine was fair.

A total of 81% of respondents said it was "unfair".

Mrs Fenton, 55, added: "The support we've had has been absolutely unbelievable and we can't thank people enough."

The issue was brought to Sir Keir's attention by the Conservative MP for Maldon Sir John Whittingdale.

He said the couple acted "entirely responsibly" in reporting the migrant, who told attending police he was a 16-year-old from Sudan.

Sir John said: "I can see the point of the rules, but this is enforcing them in a way which I cannot believe was ever intended and most people would regard as absurd."

The Home Office said it was committed to stopping people from illegally entering the country.

It added Mr and Mrs Fenton could challenge the penalty if they felt it was inappropriate.

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