Desperate migrants are feared to be risking their lives by using longer alternative routes to reach the UK by small boat to evade capture, it has been revealed. Asylum seekers making the perilous journey to Britain from France in inflatable dinghies or other small craft typically cross at the narrowest point of the Channel between Calais and Dover.
While the Dover Strait poses a significant risk to those travelling in unsuitable vessels, the stretch of water is the most direct route from continental Europe to the UK at just miles wide. Almost migrants made the journey on Tuesday alone. But concerns have been raised that migrants are now opting for longer passages in an attempt to go undetected by the authorities, after the UK and France joined forces to disrupt crossings and dismantle organised crime groups earlier this year.
According to government figures, by the end of June last year, 12, migrants had crossed the Channel in boats - an average of 34 people per vessel. At the end of last month, the running total stood at 11, in boats - which would mean an average of 45 people crammed into each vessel.
But Lucy Moreton, professional officer at Border Force union the ISU, said there is 'reasonable suspicion' to believe the reduced number of boats is due to vessels taking alternative routes across the Channel and going undetected. She said: 'We're getting a slow trickle of migrants reaching the UK at the moment β we're at a similar number as we were at this point last year. We also know the French are more active in the seizure of vessels. In an attempt to deter people smugglers, the Bill increased the maximum penalty for people caught trafficking migrants into the country to life imprisonment.
The same month the Royal Navy took over operations in the Channel, but the leadership of the response to small boat crossings returned to the Home Office on January 31 this year. Concerns have been raised that migrants are now opting for longer passages in an attempt to go undetected by the authorities, after the UK and France joined forces to disrupt crossings and dismantle organised crime groups earlier this year Pictured: Migrants arriving to Dover on Wednesday after being saved in the Channel.
