Ferry firm cracks down on illegal immigrants

DOVER, England -- Britain's biggest cross-Channel ferry operator is to launch a major crackdown on illegal immigrants.

P&O Stena Line is to hire 40 security guards who will be used to carry out checks on every lorry it ships into Britain from France.

The company said the process would begin from Wednesday at Calais and will involve checks on the 750,000 trucks a year it carries to Dover.

The screening, which should take about one minute per vehicle, includes physical inspections and checks with a rod which detects carbon dioxide exhaled by humans.

Each lorry will be checked for carbon dioxide emissions in at least three places on each side.

Any suspected illegal immigrant found by the guards will be handed over to the French authorities.

The company says the £500,000-a-year cost of carrying out the checks would be offset by cuts in potential fines to the ferry company and lorry drivers.

Chris Laming, the company's communications director, told CNN.com: "It is widely known that lorry drivers are liable to a £2,000 fine for every stowaway.

"What is less well known, is that if a stowaway gets off a lorry during the ferry crossing and walks off one of our ships and is caught, we are fined.

"The whole ferry industry has incurred a bill running into many millions as a result of this."

Earlier this year, 58 Chinese illegal immigrants were found dead on arrival at Dover in a refrigerated truck.

Last month, British police found 43 illegal immigrants hidden in the backs of trucks on a motorway near Dover.

Laming, who said that P&O had paid £100,000 in fines since 1997 "with potentially many more to come," said: "We have had discussions with the Home Office to put pressure on the French Government and the Calais authorities to improve security at the port.

"But illegal immigrants are still getting through. We decided it is time to take action."

Geoff Dossetter, of the Freight Transport Association, welcomed the move: "Fining drivers is not solving the problem at all.

"Since April the numbers of stowaways they are finding has increased - it's simply not working. So in the absence of the government being willing to take this sort of action it is very welcome."

Hauliers currently face a £2,000 penalties if illegal immigrants are found on board their vehicle.

So far, the UK Government has collected £7 million pounds since April, when the penalties to clamp down on illegal immigrants were introduced.

Last year, roughly 71,000 people applied for asylum in Britain claiming persecution in their homelands -- up from 46,000 in 1998.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Illegal immigrants injured at Channel Tunnel
September 1, 2000
EU launches major investigation after deaths of smuggled immigrants
June 19, 2000
58 found dead in Britain after clandestine Channel crossing
June 19, 2000
P&O moves to stop French port blockades
August 31, 2000

P&O Stena Line
Port of Dover
Home Office
Port of Calais
Freight Transport Association

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.