ReutersGovernment
data has revealed that the number of illegal immigrants trying to enter
Britain has almost quadrupled over the last three years.
According
to Home Office data, around 3,000 illegal immigrants a month have been
trying to cross the border and, in the first four months of 2014 alone,
11,920 entry attempts were stopped at Calais and British ports.
The
data, which was obtained by the Telegraph as part of a Freedom of
Information request, also showed that the number of migrants caught
trying to enter Britain hit 19,003 in 2013, double the 9,632 who tried
to enter in 2011/12.
"We continue to strengthen the security of
our borders to stop those who have no right to enter the UK. We have
made significant investment in ports in Northern France to improve
security and infrastructure," said a Home Office spokesperson in
response to the report.
"Using some of the best technology in the
world, our officers prevented more than 18,000 attempts to cross the
Channel illegally in the year to April 2014 – a rise of more than 60 per
cent on the previous year.
(AFP)
French authorities estimate that the number of illegal immigrants in Calais alone has increased by 50% over the last year.
However, this is mainly due to humanitarian crises in the Middle East, with thousands of people displaced due to civil wars.
The
Home Office originally pledged £12m (€15m, $19m) to bolster security in
Calais, which is seen as the main gateway for illegal immigrants, amid
growing sanitation problems and violent clashes with locals.
In November, France's interior minister begged British police to come
to Calais to help sort out the "tremendous problem" over illegal
immigrants, who are mainly from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan and Syria,
setting up camp and trying to cross the Channel to the UK.
Experts
say that the immigrants from around the world are targeting the UK and
even force their way onto ships as Britain is becoming one of most
'attractive' countries in the world to relocate.
"The sharp rise
in the number of clandestines might reflect more effective detection but
an increase on this scale is more likely to be due to increased
pressure on our borders," said Lord Green of Deddington, the chairman of
Migrationwatch, in response to the report.
"Part of that may be
due to deteriorating conditions in the Middle East and Africa but there
is little doubt that the freedom of our society, the existence of a
black market in labour and the presence of relatives and friends add up
to making the UK a very attractive destination.
"The government
are seeking to make it more difficult to live in Britain illegally but
it will take some time for recent measures to take effect."
Meanwhile, the UK government is also under fire for not fulfilling promises about legal migration.
In
2010, the Conservatives' election manifesto said: "We will take steps
to take net migration back to the levels of the 1990s - tens of
thousands a year, not hundreds of thousands."
However, the latest number is significantly above the party's stated aim to reduce net migration below 100,000.
The
Office for National Statistics data showed that net migration - the
numbers coming to live in Britain minus those leaving - rose by 78,000
from the previous year, standing at 260,000.
Critics from the opposition say his is plan is now "in tatters".
Britain's
relationship with the EU has become fraught over the last few years
over immigration issues, while Cameron is under increasing pressure from
the likes of Ukip.

