Coach company quits Home Office migrant contract after ‘significant abuse’
The decision follows an incident where two coaches were vandalised by anti-migrant protesters
A coach company contracted by the Home Office to transport migrants has terminated its agreement after employees faced severe abuse from members of the public.
BM Coaches & Rental Ltd confirmed it had stopped providing coach services due to concerns over the “significant abuse from members of the general public”, alongside the sensitive nature of Home Office transport work.
The decision follows an incident where two coaches were allegedly vandalised by anti-migrant protesters who had linked them to migrant transportation from the Hampshire town of Gosport.
Protesters gathered as roughly 150 migrants arrived on the Hampshire coast, brought ashore by two RNLI vessels.
An intermediary had requested two vehicles be placed on standby across southern England from 19 September for occasional Home Office operations, BM Coaches & Rental said.
Coaches were first called into service over the weekend of October 3 and 4 as 150 migrants were brought ashore at Haslar Marina in Gosport, after crossing the Channel from France in a small boat. They were taken to Kent for processing.
The arrival prompted a protest involving about 350 people, with flares set off and clashes reported between demonstrators and police.
Twelve people were arrested on suspicion of offences including assaulting a police officer, criminal damage and racially aggravated public order offences.
Two coaches thought to have been used to transport migrants were then vandalised at Rownhams Services on the M27 last Wednesday morning.
Their windows were smashed, and tyres slashed, while a wing mirror was also ripped off.
Police launched an investigation into the incident.
In a statement issued on Monday, BM Coaches said the two vehicles represented about two per cent of the wider group's fleet.
A spokesperson for the London and Surrey-based company said: "We would like to thank our staff, some of whom, through absolutely no fault of their own, have suffered significant abuse from members of the general public, for their continued support and dedication to serving our many and much valued clients.
"The Group has no plans to undertake any further transport services commissioned through these arrangements.
"Our focus remains on delivering our core services safely, professionally and in line with our organisational values and responsibilities.
"This decision has been made after a thorough review of the current operating environment and reflects our commitment to ensuring the safety, wellbeing and confidence of our employees, customers and stakeholders."
