UK border control crosses channel to Calais

UK immigration controls have moved from Dover to Calais today as the result of a deal agreed last year between the UK and French governments to cut illegal immigration to the UK.

Following an agreement between the Home Secretary and the French Interior Minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, all UK-bound passengers travelling from Calais and Dunkirk will now be subject to checks by UK immigration officers before they travel. Passengers will be refused permission to set off for the UK if they do not have proper paperwork.

The move, which is designed to make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to get to the UK, is part of a package of measures which includes the closure of the Sangatte detention centre; and UK immigration controls at Coquelles and Eurostar stations.

Hi-tech vehicle scanning has also been installed at ferry ports in France, Belgium and Holland which it is hoped will detect people who hide themselves inside lorries.

The agreement on immigration controls is a reciprocal one, and French border police will be stationed at Dover port to check passengers travelling from the UK to France, extending the controls they already operate at the Eurostar stations of Waterloo and Ashford and at the Eurotunnel Terminal at Cheriton.

Home Office Minister, Beverley Hughes, said: "By bringing in a radical package of measures to tackle abuse of the asylum system, and working closely with our European partners to improve the security of our borders, we have cut asylum claims by half.

"With the measures we are announcing today, we are effectively moving our borders across the Channel - UK immigration officers will be able to stop would-be illegal immigrants even before they set off for the UK.

"But we are not complacent. While there is no evidence of significant numbers of illegal entrants reaching Britain through other ports, we nevertheless are extending the use of high-tech scanning equipment along the north European coastline. We have to ensure we stay one step ahead of the criminal gangs who traffic people across Europe."

She added: "None of this would be possible without the excellent co-operation we have had from the French authorities at all levels, and I am very pleased that we have been able to forge such a strong and constructive partnership in this area."

(gmcg)