Adrian and Joanne Fenton were fined £1,500 after they found an illegal migrant hiding in their motorhome (Image: ITV)
viewers couldn’t contain their fury after a couple shared their shocking story on the programme.
On Tuesday (March 11), Adrian and Joanne Fenton appeared on the show with presenters Ed Balls and and revealed they were fined £1,500 by the Home Office after they discovered an illegal migrant hidden on the back of their motorhome.
The person was zipped inside the cover of a bike rack and found after they pulled up on their drive at their home in Heybridge, following their journey back from France.
She recalled: “All of a sudden, while I’m unpacking the inside, A goes, ‘Jo, there’s a migrant on the back, phone the police!’ So I phoned the police and that was it. About five or six hours he must have been on there for.”
Joanne, 55, said border officials in Calais and the UK had not inspected the bike rack or the cover before or after the crossing. Upon discovering the man, she offered him some water and gave him some fruit while they waited for the police to arrive. But when they did, the couple were slapped with a fine.
They received a fine from the Home Office for failing to “check that no clandestine entrant was concealed” in the motorhome.
Their story sparked fury amongst viewers, who flocked to social media to question why they received the fine.
One wrote: “This is outrageous, the couple are victims not criminals, they should be compensated for their trouble not fined. The Home Office needs to get its priorities straight and stop punishing innocent people, it’s a clear example of two-tier policing where the law abiding citizen is targeted.”
Another shared: “Expecting people to thoroughly check their vehicles like border agents is unreasonable. Shouldn’t the focus be on improving border security rather than penalizing unsuspecting individuals?”
A third echoed: “Wow so let’s get this straight! The government has allowed 2k of migrants in over the last week. Yet this couple has a stowaway hidden on their motor home and get fined? I’m lost for words what has happened to this country.”
A fourth added: “So, these people are fined £1500 cause they didn’t know there was an illegal immigrant in their motorhome. Are the government going to be fined the same knowingly that they are letting them into the country illegally?”
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GMB viewers were furious by the story (Image: ITV)