But while the tribunal ruled that she had been unfairly dismissed, it found she had not suffered unlawful indirect sex discrimination.. A security alert that left thousands of ferry passengers stranded at sea for several hours has turned out not to be terrorist related, police said last night. An alarm was raised on Friday at about 7.20pm when customs officers found what they believed to be a suspect package in the car. An Army bomb disposal squad was called to investigate.An exclusion zone was set up and the port came to a standstill with traffic travelling into Dover backing up, causing gridlock in the town centre.At the height of the alert, 14 ferries were delayed, four inside the port and 10 in the Channel between Calais and Dover, according to Dover Harbour Board.The exclusion zone was lifted at 2.40am yesterday, but traffic was already stretching back about two miles on the M20 motorway. Customs and police are becoming more concerned about the rise in arms being smuggled into Britain, especially from Eastern Europe, by organised crime gangs.
Customs sources said arsenals of hand grenades, machine guns and Semtex explosives have been seized at ports by Customs and Excise in a recent wave of smuggling. A total of 111 machine guns and rifles were seized in British ports by Customs in the year ending March 2002 This was up from 48 the year before Shotgun seizures rose to 219 from 44. In some cases, these weapons were destined for drug gangs, including a notorious south London crime family and Turkish heroin gangs in north London. Perhaps the most frightening discovery was that of 17 hand-grenade detonators, two packs of explosives, 10 handguns, three machine pistols and ammunition found in a car in a container at Felixstowe docks in April 2002.Police sources say that the surge in arms smuggling is driven by drug gangs that are increasing their firepower to cope with ever more violent turf wars.. Police were last night hunting for a 14-year-old girl who is believed to have run off with a 46-year-old man. Police say they are "extremely concerned" for her and have launched a nationwide search.They fear she is with David Milner, who worked with her mother and became friendly with the family about 18 months ago.
He recently withdrew £1,000 from his bank account and detectives are worried that the pair may try to leave the country.Stacey's mother, Angela, 33, yesterday tearfully appealed for her daughter to come home. "I just want you to come home, you're not in any trouble, just come home," she said at a police press conference."I love you and I miss you Max, your cat, is missing you like crazy. Just let me know you're OK."She then had to be helped from the press conference by a woman police officer.Inspector Richard Watson of Medway police said there were concerns about the nature of Mr Milner's relationship with Stacey."Before they ran away, there was no indication their relationship was anything more than amicable," he told the press conference in Rochester. "Concerns have now been raised about an alleged sexual relationship."He added that officers were "extremely concerned" for Stacey's welfare. The suggestion that the couple may try to leave the country had come from her friends at Upbury Manor grammar school.He added that Mr Milner was believed to be using a white Ford Escort van - registration number W639 RGE - with the name Beach Communications written on the side. But police also stressed that they were keen to trace a blue Proton - registration number G60 SKE - and a red, five-door Ford Escort, registration number M69 WJN.Inspector Watson said it was thought that Mr Milner had access to both vehicles. He said Stacey appeared to have taken a mobile phone with her, but it was switched off, and he urged her to call police."Please make contact with us We need to make sure that you are OK.
