A TRUCKER from the North-East is being held by French authorities after cannabis worth about £2.5m was allegedly found in his lorry, his wife said last night.

John Vasey, 42, of Washington, Tyne and Wear, has been in jail since he was stopped by customs officers as he crossed the border from Spain on March 1.

The news came just hours after four North-East holidaymakers revealed how they were locked up for three days last week in a Spanish prison cell when they complained their hotel room was burgled - and police did not believe them.

Stockton South councillor Angela Norton, husband Brian, and their two friends were then accused of trying to mastermind a £3,000 insurance fraud, an allegation they strenuously deny and are now fighting.

Father-of-one Mr Vasey's family, are also protesting his innocence and are appealing for support from other truckers and the public while he is held in Perpignan Prison

Mr Vasey, a former firefighter, started up his international haulage business J D Vasey Trans- port in Philadelphia, Houghton-le-Spring, five years ago.

His wife, Emma, 28, said her husband picked up a load in the Barcelona area and drove to the border crossing at Le Petrus where he was stopped.

French officials alleg-edly found 909 kilogrammes of cannabis hidden in two sealed pallets and he was arrested.

Mrs Vasey, who helps run the business, said drivers were not allowed to open pallets before setting off as the receiver could claim the load had been tampered with and would then reject it.

Mrs Vasey said: "There is no way he could have known what he was carrying."

She understood the French legal process could take months to complete but urged the authorities to check his haulage documents which she said would clear his name.

Meanwhile, her eight-year-old son, David, is missing his father badly.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "John Vasey was arrested on March 1, at Le Petrus, in connection with a drugs inquiry.

"He has been detained in Perpignan Prison while the investigation continues and his relatives have been informed. The consul is awaiting clearance to visit him."