Warm weather and beefed up security in Calais will see migrants trying to SWIM to Britain
'Naive' migrants mistakenly believe the journey will be easy, but the Channel is one of the most dangerous waterways in the world
HOT weather and improved security will lead to “increasing numbers” of illegal migrants attempting to swim or sail towards Britain from France, military officials warned today.
Lieutenant Pierre-Joachim Antona, spokesman for the maritime prefecture responsible for Calais, was speaking at a press conference after the port was shut on Saturday morning due to migrants in the sea.
According to the Lieutenant, the would-be asylum seekers attempted to board car ferries heading to Dover, which would allow them to bypass security checks if they were on the quayside.
Each of the migrants had to be rescued from the sea by a helicopter, which was supported by craft including customs and fishing boats.
Speaking on the incident, Lieutenant Antona said: “This type of thing isn’t exceptional or isolated.
“It’s a real and lasting trend.”
He continued: “In good weather, from the French coast, you can see England, and in a naïve way you can be led to believe that the journey will be quick and easy.
“But it’s an absolute deception – it’s one of the most dangerous seas in the world.”
Lt Antona told how the millions spent tightening security up in the port and Channel Tunnel itself was prompting migrants to make more sea-bound attempts to get to England.
He said a variety of factors, including strong currents and the sheer density of traffic in the Channel, made any chances of survival incredibly slim.
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According to Lt Antona, the type of unlit boat used by people smugglers are particularly dangerous as there is a “considerable risk” they will hit larger vessels and capsize.
Traffic stopped at 2.20 in the morning today as officials raced to save the lives of the migrants in the sea.
Speaking on the incident, a dockworker told : “Those plucked out of the water were rushed to hospital, and traffic was not allowed to move again until past 4am.”
It is thought at least two migrants were involved in the swimming attempt to cross the Channel, although there “may have been more who got out of the water themselves,” the dockworker added.
Approximately 5,000 migrants are living rough in Calais and its surrounding areas as they try to get into Britain.
Figures released last month show the number of migrants to have successfully smuggled themselves across the Channel in ferries has doubled in the past three years.
Ministers disclosed data that showed the number of “clandestine entrants” who arrived in Britain through Dover and other nearby ports rose from 1,432 in 2013 to 2,935 in 2015.
And experts say the real figures are likely to be significantly higher, as a large proportion of illegal migrants disappear after making it onto British soil.
A French legal professional has claimed Albanian people smuggling gangs are now “running the boat trade against the Channel,” meaning it’s the “moneyed illegal immigrants who are getting across this way.”
She continued: “It’s a hugely lucrative criminal operation, and the authorities are having to respond in kind.
"Police, coastguard and the navy are all involved in combating it.”
She claims the going rate for passage to Britain ranges from a few hundred pounds to £10,000.
Migrants unable to come up with the cash occasionally make improvised attempts to cross the Channel in dinghies, or by constructing their own vessels made from debris found in Calais.
The UK Border Force is responsible for intercepting any migrants attempting to enter the country by sea, but it has just five ships that must patrol the UK’s 11,000 miles of coastline.
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