According to a report in today’s Daily Telegraph. Hoverspeed is planning to sue Customs and Excise for as much as £30 million because its recent campaign against smuggling seriously damages its business.
According to the newspaper Hoverspeed believes that customs officers’ overzealous attitudes have discouraged people from using cross-Channel services. Customs and Excise has vowed to fight any such claim.
The Telegraph states that Hoverspeed is going ahead with the claim following a test case last year, when a family had cigarettes and alcohol seized, only to be told by the Court of Appeal that the seizures had been illegal because officers had not given “reasonable grounds for suspicion”.
A spokesman is reported as telling the newspaper: “Over-zealous actions of Customs officers at the Hoverspeed terminal at Dover, over a sustained period, impacted on our business in terms of revenue from fares and shopping, and on our reputation.”
