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... Sun Armada T-shirt |
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Join The Sun's £1 armada
TODAY The Sun calls on its army
of 10 million readers to join a £1 sailaway to France
— and stock up for a Happy Christmas.
And we have high hopes that Customs officers will let
readers enjoy their legal right to bring back as many
cigs and as much booze as they like for their personal
consumption.
All this week we’ve highlighted how Customs staff have
been wrongly stripping people of their bargains.
Now The Sun understands that the message is getting
through to Customs that they must lay off honest folk
and concentrate on big-league smugglers.
A Treasury official told The Sun last night there was NO
objection to people bringing back as much as
they like — provided they can satisfy Customs it is
for their own use.
The Treasury also backed a guide produced by The Sun
which explains trippers’ rights.
A Treasury spokesman told The Sun: “We do understand
people’s concerns. We have always said we keep our
practices under constant review.
“We believe The Sun’s 12-point guide to avoid
problems as people travel backwards and forwards across
the Channel is eminently sensible. People should keep
receipts and ensure they are not buying on other
people’s behalf or selling these goods on.
As Economic Secretary John Healey said this week —
people can bring in as much as they like for personal
consumption. But we are not going soft on smugglers.”
To secure a place with our Armada simply collect THREE
TOKENS from The Sun newspaper starting with
Token 1 tomorrow. Full details will be published then
and you can set sail from next Tuesday to Christmas Eve.
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YOU can travel as a foot passenger from
Dover to Calais from £1 return, or £5 on Saturdays,
with the help of our friends at P&O Ferries.
Or sail from Portsmouth to Cherbourg or Le Havre for
just £5 a person. Better still, you and four friends
can take the car to Calais from £10 if you book
on-line.
And look out for our Sun girls. From the end of next
week, they will be handing out car stickers, T-shirts
and leaflets on P&O ferries and at major wine
warehouses in Calais.
They will bear the message: I’m a Sun Reader. I know
my rights.
Remember: The law says you can bring back as much as you
like FOR YOUR PERSONAL CONSUMPTION.
But The Sun cannot guarantee you will not be stopped by
Customs, nor can we guarantee you will not have goods or
even your car confiscated if Customs think you are
trying it on.
If you have made a very recent cross-channel trip to
stock up with fags and booze this trip is not for you.
Also let us make it very clear that if you are planning
to smuggle goods YOU WILL NOT BE WELCOME.
The Sun is looking only for genuine bargain hunters.
If this is you then come aboard and let’s sail away to
stock up for a Happy Christmas. The Sun’s Armada is on
its way. Nothing’s going to stop us!
Even jet-ski is snatched
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| For
sale ... the jet-ski grabbed by Customs |
By JOHN ASKILL
CUSTOMS officers have grabbed an amazing array of luxury
motors from trippers — and even a JET-SKI.
The Yamaha machine — seized during a “routine
operation” — is being sold off alongside Range
Rovers, BMWs and Audis.
It was also revealed yesterday that Customs have made
their most valuable “catch” yet in their blitz on
booze-cruisers — an £80,000 Merc.
The S500 limo was taken from a stunned driver returning
through the Channel Tunnel.
Many of the most valuable motors confiscated at ports
are being sold through a showroom in Alrewas, Staffs.
They are being flogged at up to 30 per cent below book
price.
Bargains on display yesterday included a Range Rover 4.6
HSE for £11,895 — £1,355 below book
price — and a BMW diesel at £8,795
instead of £9,850.
There were also two Mercs, an Audi cabriolet, Vauxhall
Frontera 4x4, Volvo 850 and BMW.
JT Leavesley Motors of Alrewas has a contract to dispose
of around 3,000 cars a year seized by Customs.
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Bargains
... the confiscated motors
waiting for buyers in swish showroom |
Boss Mike Brown said: “There are some very nice
vehicles being sold.
“There was a beautiful Mercedes S-class in the Customs
compound. It had all the bells and whistles and was
certainly worth over £80,000.”
Many of the cars sent to Mr Brown’s firm are scrapped.
Others are sold at auction and the rest are put in their
showroom.
Mr Brown said: “They have no documentation — no
logbook or service history and our prices reflect that
fact.”
Customs men are grabbing up to 10,000 vehicles a year
from trippers accused of breaching their guidelines on
cigarettes and booze.
Mr Brown said many of the seized vehicles were returned
to finance companies who technically owned them.
He added: “The cars we dispose of are those that
remain after appeals.
“We try to reach a realistic price for them.”
They let cigs crook carry
on
AN illegal cigarette seller exposed by The Sun can carry
on because Customs officials “aren’t interested” a
cop said yesterday.
The Kosovan refugee sells 20 cigs for £2.50 outside
Whitechapel tube station, East London. The British
Transport cop said: “Only Customs can formally arrest
him.
“We’ve called them many times — but they just
don’t care.” |
