A NORTH-EAST lorry driver and his father-in-law have each been fined £1m for a cigarette smuggling scam they insist they knew nothing about.

Haulier Derrick Bunce, 42, and his passenger Ian Sutcliffe, 68, have been told of the fine four years after French officials impounded their load of contraband.

Now, father-of-two Mr Bunce, who lives in a council house in Hardwick, Stockton, fears that he will be sent to prison by the authorities seeking to recover the fine.

In 2000, Mr Bunce worked as a driver for haulage firm General Carriers, of Billingham, Teesside, which no longer exists.

Mr Bunce said that, with Mr Sutcliffe in the passenger seat, he collected what he thought was 24 palettes of soap powder from a depot in Valencia, Spain.

He said: "I sat in the cab while they loaded up the palettes and shut the doors. But at the Bologne entrance to the Channel Tunnel, officers using an x-ray machine noticed there was a problem with the cargo."

Hidden inside were 11 tonnes of cigarettes, worth £900,000.

Mr Bunce was arrested and released after questioning.

A court date followed but after taking advice from a French lawyer, Mr Bunce said he was told not to appear.

He heard nothing for four years until, just before Christmas, a letter arrived at his home from French customs at Calais, telling him he had been fined 1,487,902.41 Euros, the equivalent of £1m, and that he had 15 days to pay. Mr Sutcliffe received the same fine.

Agency driver Mr Bunce said: "I am a normal man who lives on a council estate, just working to keep my head above water.

"Now, I am beyond myself and feel suicidal. I'll never be able to pay that sort of money."

Mr Bunce, who is seeking legal advice, fears he could be arrested or have his assets seized.

He worked for General Carriers for four years.

The firm was owned in 2000 by David Wilson, then 39, of the Granary, Wynyard, Stockton.

In that year, Mr Wilson was jailed for eight years for smuggling $4.27 million of ecstasy into Britain. General Carriers went into liquidation the same year.

Mike Freeman, head of international affairs for the Road Haulage Association, said that drivers were responsible for their loads.

He said: "This is a pretty bleak story, because he did not appear in court the first time and offer some mitigation.

"We advise him to get legal advice as soon as possible."