Haulier blockades factory
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• by Melanie Hammond
A Gosforth-based haulier adopted French blockade tactics in an attempt to recover .e23,000 he claims he is owed by a Hensingham fish factory.
David Hope positioned two trailers—a tanker and a bulk tipper—to block the factory's entrance when a large delivery from Denmark was expected.
hlope says that he resorted to the action after Euromak failed to pay him for haulage and dockage work carried out as far back as April and May, Including three deliveries to France.
On the first day he parked the trailers on the outside of the entrance, but Cumbria Police instructed him to move as he was "obstructing a civil highway". He returned after the bank holiday to block the entrance from the inside but was again advised to move by police, who warned him that he was under threat of prosecution for "aggravated trespassing".
This is not the first time that
Hope has had problems with payment from the factory He suffered a £74,000 loss when the previous owner, C Fresh, went bankrupt.
Hope says: "Last time I went through the courts and did everything correctly but I still didn't get my money, so this time I decided I would help persuade them [Euromald to see sense."
Hope is now pursuing the matter through his solicitor; Euromak's general manager was unavailable for comment.