Home Secretary Anounces Secure Zone in Calais

The Home Secretary, Theresa may, has announced today that a new ‘Secure Zone’ is being created in Calais to help protect UK bound lorry drivers after 8,000 attempts by migrants to get to the UK in the last three weeks alone.
 
The secure zone will be able to house 230 vehicles. Mrs May told the Commons that more than 8,000 attempts by illegal migrants to enter the UK have been stopped by officials between 21st June and 11th July.

"It's imperative they are allowed to continue their business unimpeded so today I can announce the creation of a new secure zone at the port of Calais for UK-bound lorries," Mrs May told the Commons.

"This will provide a secure waiting area for 230 vehicles, the equivalent of removing a two-and-a-half mile queue from the approaching road.

This should transform protection for lorries and their drivers, removing them from the open road where they can become targets for migrants attempting to board their vehicles."
 
Lorry drivers have been advised to not stop within a 60 mile radius of Calais as well as sticking with other lorry drivers and for them make sure padlocks are always kept on vehicles, as migrants will attempt to gain access to their vehicles.
 
All this comes as official figures reveal that lorry drivers have paid £6.6 million in fines over the last year for being caught carrying illegal immigrants into the UK through Calais.
That figure represents a rise of more than £2m on the £4.2m paid in fines in 2013/14.

Immigration Minister James Brokenshire revealed that since January 2014, over 4,000 fines have been issued to hauliers travelling through Calais to the UK.
 
The figures are revealed as Europe faces an ongoing crisis with thousands of migrants making long, dangerous journeys from Africa and the Middle East via the Mediterranean and other routes.
 
Mr Brokenshire revealed the official figures in response to a written parliamentary question from Labour shadow immigration minister David Hanson.
 
Mr Brokenshire replied: 'The total penalties paid and received by the Home Office under the Civil Penalty scheme for the Nord Pas de Calais region are £4.2m in 2013/14 and £6.6 million in 2014/15.'
 
The Immigration Minister also revealed how many fines had been issued in each month since January last year.
The most fines for a single month was a staggering 369 which were issued in July 2014.
 
You can see the fines that have been issued each month below:
 
The total penalties paid and received by the Home Office under the Civil Penalty scheme for the Nord Pas de Calais region are £4.2 million in 2013/14 and £6.6 million in 2014/15. Border Force issued penalties for those attempting to enter the UK via the Pas de Calais region for each month since January 2014 as follows:

Month	Number of Penalties Issued
January 2014	179
February 2014	157
March 2014	184
April 2014	221
May 2014	263
June 2014	282
July 2014	369
August 2014	335
September 2014	309
October 2014	333
November 2014	271
December 2014	254
January 2015	316
February 2015	186
March 2015	182
April 2015	198
May 2015	268

 

Back to news