# Eurotunnel checks



## DIXIE1 (Apr 14, 2009)

Hi,
has anyone ever had their motorhome searched on the return from France to England at Eurotunnel. Seem to always get the usual door handle and steering wheel checked for explosive traces, but we never have been or seen a motorhome being searched.
Just woundered as it would take ages and we would miss the alloted time on the train.


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

we've been checked once, just a quick look in the door and lockers. only took a few minutes.


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## Nodge (Aug 31, 2006)

I think I have only got past the UK Border Agency staff once, every other time we have been searched.

The swab of the door handles isn't for explosive checks its for traces of class A's i'm led to believe, although that could just be my dealer trying to make me nervous.


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## cheshiregordon (Sep 24, 2011)

the steering wheel checks also include checks for drug traces. I went thro the tunnel soon after it opened having leant the car to my teenage son to take his mates out only a few days before.
I was pulled over at the tunnel and not being very busy and wanting to test their equipment they went through the car very thoroughly - when I was told they were testing for drugs I had an uncomfortable few minutes wait until the all clear came (not that I suspected my son of doing drugs but can't vouch for his mates at that time)


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## StAubyns (Jun 4, 2006)

We have been checked in France at Eurotunnel by UK Border Control. It seemed very confusing at the time. 

When we stopped at the Passport check, we were asked "Could there be anybody else on board" which I thought was a strange way of asking if we were carrying passengers. So I replied "There could be, but there are only the 2 of us". The guy then said " If there was anybody else on board, where could they be?" By now I was wondering where this was going, so I said "Well, if there was anybody else on board, and there aren't, I suppose they could be in the overcab bed or the toilet compartment". He then said "I'd better come and have a look then". I opened the hab door for him, he got inside, had a look around, and got out with a " Have a safe journey" and waved us off. :? 

Now if he had said "Are their just the 2 of you" And I had replied "yes", then that I could understand. It was the phraseology that he used that was strange to me at the time


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

The posts on here interest me.

The UK Border Agency are responsible for persons entering the UK, but as far as I know not responsible for the security of the Channel Tunnel against any terrorist threat.

But who is?

Who has being doing the checks of door handles and steering wheels?

There seems to be little interest in security on ferries, but that maybe understandable, since even a large bomb detonated inside a vessel designed to withstand multi-million tons of water pressure is unlikely to rupture, so of little target-interest to terrorists.

However does anyone know the answer re Tunnel security responsibility?

Geoff


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

The French are supposed to cover that. :roll: :roll:

cabby


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## cheshiregordon (Sep 24, 2011)

StAubyns said:


> We have been checked in France at Eurotunnel by UK Border Control. It seemed very confusing at the time.
> 
> When we stopped at the Passport check, we were asked "Could there be anybody else on board" which I thought was a strange way of asking if we were carrying passengers. So I replied "There could be, but there are only the 2 of us". The guy then said " If there was anybody else on board, where could they be?" By now I was wondering where this was going, so I said "Well, if there was anybody else on board, and there aren't, I suppose they could be in the overcab bed or the toilet compartment". He then said "I'd better come and have a look then". I opened the hab door for him, he got inside, had a look around, and got out with a " Have a safe journey" and waved us off. :?
> 
> Now if he had said "Are their just the 2 of you" And I had replied "yes", then that I could understand. It was the phraseology that he used that was strange to me at the time


The best one was when we were stopped by passport control in the UK before boarding the train and I was asked where I was going!! "France silly"


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## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

Last year the Border staff asked to look in the MH, the side door was unlocked, and one climbed on board.

He glanced round, open the toilet door to look in there, said 'thank you' and jumped out.

At the next corner the toilet door banged open and we had to stop and close it properly.

Delay - 30 seconds for his examination and 45 seconds for us to shut the door correctly.

:wav: :wav: :wav:


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

I think they are checking for immigrant stowaways

They were checking all the vans going on to the ferry from France

Didn't check ours because of Shadow

We were chatting to the border guard and he says they do have a problem with immigrants gaining access to vans and lorries and hiding there

As we were talking there were several people wandering around outside the wired perimeter he was watching and a lot of bits of clothing on the barbed wire tops.

sad, but as he says they are already safe in France

Aldra


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

aldra said:


> I think they are checking for immigrant stowaways
> 
> They were checking all the vans going on to the ferry from France
> 
> ...


Got it!

If you want make a few quid transporting illegal immigrants take 'Shadow' with you! Simples!

How much did you charge them? :lol:

Geoff


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Only if the immigrants are happy to be transported under toothed guard :lol: :lol:

He only allows us in under sufferance :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Aldra


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## Hymervanman (Aug 20, 2010)

I think you'll find that the swabs are done by the police; you certainly go through a police checkpoint on the French side which is the UK border control.
Although never stopped in the motorhome, we have been stopped in the car and taken into a shed. Apparently they are checking for laundering of cash to buy property abroad. They ask daft questions like where have you come from even though they know the vehicles owner and details. On one occassion I replied Folkstone as we had stayed over the previous night. The guy questioned me again as my answer totally threw him.
Also have you ever noticed the sniffer dogs that they use when you are in the queue for immigration? These are a quick way of checking vehicles. I believe that they also use them on the ferry vehicle decks when you are up top. Any suspicious vehicles are then pulled after docking.


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## DIXIE1 (Apr 14, 2009)

So far then it seems the French look for traces of Drugs on your door knob and the British border control are just interested in stowaways/immigrants. Never been stopped with approx 20 trips under our belt, yet some are checked regularly, maybe there is a flag on the passport control screen as "suspected smuggler"


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## quartet (Jul 9, 2006)

*Bang*

They told us the steering wheel scan was for explosives
Barry


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## vicdicdoc (May 14, 2005)

I for one am very glad they are doing searches & as I'm never in that much of a hurry, being pulled over at customs & having van searched is no prob - at least it shows that the authorities are not sitting on their backsides doing nothing


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

StAubyns said:


> We have been checked in France at Eurotunnel by UK Border Control. It seemed very confusing at the time.
> 
> When we stopped at the Passport check, we were asked "Could there be anybody else on board" which I thought was a strange way of asking if we were carrying passengers. So I replied "There could be, but there are only the 2 of us". The guy then said " If there was anybody else on board, where could they be?" By now I was wondering where this was going, so I said "Well, if there was anybody else on board, and there aren't, I suppose they could be in the overcab bed or the toilet compartment". He then said "I'd better come and have a look then". I opened the hab door for him, he got inside, had a look around, and got out with a " Have a safe journey" and waved us off. :?
> 
> Now if he had said "Are their just the 2 of you" And I had replied "yes", then that I could understand. It was the phraseology that he used that was strange to me at the time


Geoff, I got a similar reaction when I said that we haad slept at Cite Europe. The jobsworth got really excited and told me that an illegal could have entered a locker during the night as we slept. Or worse still hidden packets of drugs.
I politely pointed out that each locker was alarmed and that we slept above the large one. It would have had to be emptied for even a baby to be put in. 
He had me demonstrate the alarm system but still insisted that I open each locker and account for each item. Some wrapped up pressies.
When he told me that I could proceed and have an uneventfull journey home I pointed out to him that his search for illegals and drugs was not over.
"You have not checked the toilet casette for drugs" I told him as I opened the locker door. "You can check it , but we have used it last night and this morning." I informed him.

I was waved on my way.

Sometimes I just feel in that kind of mood. :lol: :lol: 
But do get a ticking off by her Ladyship.

Dave p


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

you were lucky you didn't get the rubber gloves treatment Dave :lol:


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## Matchlock (Jun 26, 2010)

I always get stopped but as I have never taken it abroad yet not in the motor home.
Used to travel a lot in the car to Europe on Business, , once got stopped from Hull to Rotterdam on business for not having the correct paperwork for the equipment I was carrying, 3 hours in detention until the outstanding taxes where transferred.
On the return journey because my work was delayed I travelled on the overnight slow ferry from Calais to Dover, pulled in the early hours at Dover, put on my best Yorkshire accent and explained it has been a long drive & a long way to go home. lived in London at the time, the guy (and he really had one arm one one eye )let me go saying safe journey.

Sat on a plane destined to Saudi when I got a call to disembark due to the equipment being delayed, had to collect my bags and go back through customs, when asked where I had come from I naturally said Luton, bad move, total stripdown.

Few days later arrived in Saudi with a small brass printing block in my luggage, they where sure it was gold, luckily the factory manager(Arab with a lot of influence) turned up and got me released just before the rubber gloves came out.

Doing an installation in Belfast just before Christmas I was pulled in by MI5 for 1/2 hour whilst they did checks, went out between Xmas & New Year to check everything was OK & got pulled by the same guy again, quick chat about the previous pull and he let me go.

Went to Jersey in the car for a holiday, when I landed at Portsmouth the car was totally stripped out along with the luggage at customs, good job I was wearing the gold watch & rings my wife bought me when we was there for my birthday, after all this he walked away and left me to pack everything up myself.

Don't take an amateur photography mag to Indonesia that contains pics of half clad women into the country, they really do frown upon that, and also don't take pictures of working women, they chase you with a vengeance, nothing to do with them working topless of course!
And not recommended to take pics of priests in China, they get very upset.

In the early days I thought that it was just the residence permit in my passport for Holland that slowed me down but after several renewals that should not be a problem although the Frauline in Germany laughed at my passport picture and said "only two weeks to go then you can change it".

Whatever you do do not travel with me through customs, guaranteed to get you pulled, that is why I only carry the maximum amount of tax free or paid that I am allowed to.

Barry


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## FranknJan (Dec 18, 2007)

Nodge said:


> The swab of the door handles isn't for explosive checks its for traces of class A's i'm led to believe, .


We should be ok as we've got a coach built.
Frank


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

Earlier this year I pulled down the coned off lane to the only operating automatic barrier. The only other barrier was the pay on the spot entrance.
Having used these before, I was surprised it did not welcome me by name, but it did not. Outside was -10 (really) and with shaking hands I tried to enter my code, made errors but got it the second time; my name came up but the barrier did not. Pause... nothing. A glance to the rear showed a long line of cars in the same coned off lane. I tried the whole entrance code again; nothing! The hint of irritation on the people behind was not hidden from me. Then the magic words came onto the automatic screen "Out of Order!"
I tried to reverse, a little bit... the car behind managed about a metre. It was very,very cold and I just hoped that the whole line might back up. They did eventually, re-forming their queue after I got out.
Arriving at the pay desk that was manned by a gentleman who only wanted my money and was reluctant to understand me, until I used the words "Out of Order". He stopped dead, made a phone call checked me in. By now the queue were going through their second reversing but the queue was a bit longer now.
A French policeman sniffed my van electronically for "Explosives" he told me. Then the British Border control wanted every document we had and took them away. After a few minutes he returned saying "It's not you!" and let us pass.
We can have more adventures in the few yards across the 'Borders' than for several weeks touring. Bring it on!  Alan


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

A bit of a puzzle when I went out through Dover last month. Pulled into the customs shed and asked if I were carrying any knives. I was of course and he seemed quite happy with my simple explanation but it has puzzled me as to why he would ask if I were carrying any knives on my way out. Who was at risk of any attack by me - the ship's crew? Was I going to hijack the ferry - "Take me to Cuba!"

Or, am I missing something more obvious?


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