Juxtaposed controls (stowaway article)

“Immigration now do their checks in France so the problem is to all extents and purposes nipped in the bud before it arrives in England,” says port spokesman Keith Southey. “The majority of people-smuggling checks are carried out in Dunkirk and Calais, and this has brought it down to a trickle.”

Anyone who does get through the net in France has every chance of being caught in by customs checking trucks as they arrive in Dover.

“There is scanning equipment in place in France and at customs in Dover to detect any people-smuggling activity,” says Mr Southey. “The only cost we incur is providing the infrastructure for the examination to take place – essentially, some space and a few buildings.”

However, the challenges should not be under-estimated. Those determined to get to England have very ingenious ways of getting on to lorries after the controls at Calais, he says. “There are a couple of thousand people waiting around the ports in France trying to get a lift over. It is a big problem for the French authorities to keep out.”