for mcgrath and our friends across the pond, we brits joined the european common market way back. one of the free trade principles is that duties across the community should be equalised.

in britain we have high tax on alcohol and tobacco, far higher than mainland europe (we also pay more for cars but that is not down to duty). we are in theory permitted to travel to europe and bring back as much alcohol and tobacco products as we like as long as we do not resell for profit.

in practice our customs rigorously enforce limits and people have their cars taken from them if they cannot convince the customs that their imports are for personal use only.

a party of daytrippers and a ferry company, hoverspeed, have taken the authorities through the courts for this practice and the court decided that the customs had exceed ed their powers and were acting outside the law.

my original message reflects the sense of injustice of being able to travel freely around europe and only be treated as a suspected criminal by the country whose passport I hold when I re-enter my homeland

rafflesbear