Personal Injury Solicitors

A row has broken out after seven ski instructors from the UK were arrested by French police over allegations they did not have the correct ski instructors’ licences.

The seven instructors – six men and one female – were arrested by armed police at the French ski resort Megeve and could face a jail sentence of three months if found guilty of operating as a ski instructor without a proper licence.

Among the group arrested is 51-year-old Simon Butler, an English national who runs a tour company at the resort.

The Daily Mail reports that the others arrested are Alex Casey, 41, Jay Blatherwick, 48, Philip May, 45, Ross Medcalf, 28, Jim Wilkins, 47 and Adam Alder-Cox, 21.

The authorities in France are alleging that the group has failed to comply with French employment law.

However, Mr Butler denies the allegations, saying that he and his staff have the correct documentation to allow them to work in France under the EU’s free labour laws.

Local prosecutor Pierre-Yves Michau said the group had been accused of breaking French law and would be appearing before a criminal court within the next two months. All seven British nationals have had their passports confiscated by the French authorities to prevent them from leaving the country.

Mr Butler has been bailed until 7 April. He has worked in the region for nearly 30 years and mainly with British tourists. He said after being released:

“I was arrested illegally and then placed in a tiny, freezing cell with a concrete slab as a bed.

“I was kept in custody for 36 hours and generally treated appallingly. Now we can’t leave the country – and are all facing further time in prison.”

Mr Butler has alleged that he and his staff are frequently “harassed” by the French authorities – and blames the intense competition between British and French tour operators in France.

He was previously fined £8,000 by French authorities in 2004 and a more recent charge is under appeal. The French authorities have also accused Mr Butler of failing to declare foreign employees – despite the fact that both the UK and France are EU member states with reciprocal employment agreements. Last year a member of his staff was arrested and holidaymakers staged a protest outside the police station in Megeve.

EU Commissioner and French MP Michel Barnier devised a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which enables ski instructors to work across the EU.

Mr Butler is an approved member of the scheme, which his lawyer says is being ignored by the French authorities.

Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Solicitors for Sports Injuries

Holidaymakers are advised to check that any instructor on a ski holiday or winter sports trip is fully qualified and licensed in the country where they are operating.

Holidaymakers who book winter sports holidays as a package are protected under the Package Travel Regulations 1992 if they sustain injury in an accident which was the fault of another party.

Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of personal injury solicitors and can advise holidaymakers on how to make a no win no fee claim for injuries sustained in a holiday accident as a result of another party’s negligence – including injuries sustained on winter sports holidays as a result of negligent instruction.

For expert legal advice on Holiday Accidents and Injuries or Sports Injuries, and how to make a no win no fee claim for compensation, contact Duncan Lewis personal injury solicitors on 020 7923 4020.