Ferry firm extends illegal immigrant crackdown

LONDON, England -- Britain's biggest ferry operator has extended its crackdown on illegal immigrants to include searches of cars and coaches using its ships.

P&O Stena Line said on Saturday that it wanted to protect customers who may be targeted on cross-Channel ferries by illegal immigrants scared of being caught on lorries.

The company launched a crackdown on lorries on Wednesday, hiring 40 security guards who will us devices which detect carbon dioxide emissions, a sign of human breathing, to check every lorry it carries.

Under the extension, they will now check cars and coaches awaiting ferries on the route from the French port of Calais to Dover in southern England.

The ships are traditionally packed in the run-up to Christmas with shoppers on "booze cruises."

About 70 stowaways, including a mother and her baby girl, were found in the first three days of checks on lorries.

Under legislation introduced in 1987, ferry and airline carriers face fines of £2,000 ($2,900) for every illegal immigrant they are found to be carrying. The fines were extended to lorry drivers under new legislation in April this year.

P&O has paid £100,000 in fines so far this year for unwittingly carrying illegal immigrants. Company spokesman Chris Laming said the cost of the crackdown would be offset by cuts in potential fines to the ferry company.

The ferry operator inadvertently carried 58 Chinese illegal immigrants found dead on arrival in a refrigerated truck in Britain six months ago.

The discovery of the Chinese immigrants pushed immigration to the top of Britain's political agenda.

Opposition Conservatives have accused Prime Minister Tony Blair's government of turning Britain into a "soft touch" for bogus asylum seekers after the backlog in asylum cases soared to a record 100,000.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Ferry firm cracks down on illegal immigrants
December 4, 2000
Driver of immigrant death truck makes first British court appearance
June 23, 2000
British police charge truck driver in deaths of 58 Chinese
June 22, 2000
British police trace truck victims to southern China
June 20, 2000
Britain, EU launch major investigation after deaths of smuggled immigrants
June 19, 2000

P&O Stena Lin
Home Office
Port of Dover
Port of Calais
British Refugee Council

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