01/12/2011
M6 Fuel Smuggling Was 'Enormous Safety Risk'
A man from south Armagh has been questioned after almost 18,000 litres of suspected illicit fuel were this week seized by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) as part of ongoing activity to tackle the illegal fuel trade in the UK.
HMRC officers, working with Central Motorway Police and officers from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) stopped a Northern Ireland-registered lorry during a roadside operation on the M6 in Birmingham yesterday.
When officers searched the 40' lorry, declared as carrying a load of bread, they uncovered 18 fuel containers.
Each container, capable of holding 1,000 litres of fuel, was concealed inside a cardboard box in an attempt to evade detection.
Graeme Anderson, Assistant Director, Specialist Investigation, HMRC, said: "Fuel transported in this way potentially poses an enormous risk to the safety of the public.
"Large quantities of fuel would be transported in tankers, designed to carry it safely.
"The fact that 18,000 litres of fuel were transported in the back of a lorry, shows a total disregard for other road users and I would encourage anyone with information about this type of activity to contact us on our Custom's Hotline 0800 59 5000," he said, noting that the lorry, trailer and fuel were seized during the operation and that a man from south Armagh was interviewed in relation to the seizures while investigations are ongoing.
(BMcC)
HMRC officers, working with Central Motorway Police and officers from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) stopped a Northern Ireland-registered lorry during a roadside operation on the M6 in Birmingham yesterday.
When officers searched the 40' lorry, declared as carrying a load of bread, they uncovered 18 fuel containers.
Each container, capable of holding 1,000 litres of fuel, was concealed inside a cardboard box in an attempt to evade detection.
Graeme Anderson, Assistant Director, Specialist Investigation, HMRC, said: "Fuel transported in this way potentially poses an enormous risk to the safety of the public.
"Large quantities of fuel would be transported in tankers, designed to carry it safely.
"The fact that 18,000 litres of fuel were transported in the back of a lorry, shows a total disregard for other road users and I would encourage anyone with information about this type of activity to contact us on our Custom's Hotline 0800 59 5000," he said, noting that the lorry, trailer and fuel were seized during the operation and that a man from south Armagh was interviewed in relation to the seizures while investigations are ongoing.
(BMcC)
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A sunny but frosty start for many. However cloud increases by midday with a few showers reaching the north coast, these mostly light but spreading inland this afternoon. Chilly. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A rather cloudy evening with scattered showers. Becoming drier through the night with some good clear spells developing and a patchy frost away from coasts. Minimum temperature 0 °C.