Warning - removals back to the UK

My sister moved back from Spain to the UK a couple of weeks ago and has been waiting for her furniture to follow.

Yesterday morning her furniture was impounded in Customs in Poole and the entire load searched.  This was because the drivers were found to be carrying drugs.

She has the furniture now after a very long delay but two large items of furniture are missing.  All of the boxes have been searched and re-sealed by customs and some have been damaged.  She hasn't unpacked yet, but she is expecting to find breakages as according to the driver who met the load everything was "dragged off" by customs to be searched.

The load had been sub-contracted out to Fastcat Removals by another firm as they could not get the furniture over as quickly as she wanted.

A few years ago some neighbours of mine had their load impounded in France for a similar reason.  I can't remember the name of the removal firm they used and I don't know if they ever got their stuff back.

Its a very worrying situation because unless we drive the stuff over ourselves we have to put our trust in other people not to try to smuggle drugs or anything else in our precious belongings.

 Use a reputable company and pay the going rate - simples! Pickfords etc. etc.etc.

It`s all very well to say use a reputable company like Pickfords, but even they get searched at Customs. I like to think that I am also a reputable company but if a customer decides to slip large amounts of tobacco, alcohol or drugs,  if I get pulled at Customs and it`s found, then the load will be detained and searched thoroughly. That is why I require my customers to sign a declaration that they have packed the boxes themselves and that they do not contain any drugs, tobacco, alcohol, firearms, or any illegal substance. The only way to be sure your goods will be ok is to hire the whole lorry for yourself and know that only your goods are onboard. However in the real world that is not practical to have to pay to carry say 15 cu metres of goods on a lorry like mine that can carry 57 cu metres.

I came off the ferry in Poole this week and another well known removal firm was pulled into the Customs search bay just ahead of me. I got straight out the gate. It`s just your luck, sometimes a vehicle is pulled because the Customs have intelligence on that vehicle, if they have no intelligence on any vehicle coming off the ferry, then it`s just pot luck as to whether you finish up in the shed.

Jimbo