A coach used by Border Agency workers to commute to France could have provided a route for hundreds of illegal immigrants into Britain.Now, you must be saying, surely a BA staff coach would have stringent counter-intelligence procedures and security?
A stowaway was seen fleeing from the coach in Folkestone, Kent, at the end of last month, in what appeared to be a one-off incident.
But a source close to the Border Agency has told the Mail this was just the tip of the iceberg, calling the coach a 'magnet for illegals' trying to sneak into the UK.
It seems not:
The authorities have since discovered two overlooked hiding places either side of the coach's fuel tanks, where up to four stowaways can ride at a time./facepalm
And because its passengers are immigration officials, the vehicle is routinely waved through border checks.
It follows a predictable route and timetable and stands out as it is virtually the only coach without markings.
Let’s hope that MI5 don’t start recruiting from within UKBA ranks…
It is understood that the Border Agency specified the vehicle should have no logos to prevent identification, but this has had the opposite effect.Well, who could foresee that? Apart, that is, from just about anybody who ever watched an episode of ‘Spooks’ or ‘Burn Notice’…
The source said: 'A large group of Border Agency staff have been staying every night for years at The Suite hotel in Coquelles - and the coach has always parked outside overnight.I’d be astonished if it wasn’t…
'Some illegals have clearly discovered a new hiding place in it that no one had thought of before.
'The beauty of it is twofold. Firstly, in immigration officers' training, they are not trained to search for this space in a coach because no one had thought of it.
'Secondly, the coach is full of immigration offficers, so it's waved straight through by their colleagues at passport control.'
The source continued: 'I would not be surprised if the immigration service coach and its secret hiding place had been common knowledge among illegals for years.
Good to start the day with a laugh.
ReplyDeleteBeing a humane sort, I would normally flog illegals then throw them back into the sea, but in this case the buggers qualify for instant citizenship, just for their ingenuity and cheek.
Aren't there heavy fines for smuggling illegal aliens into the country? I look forward to the forthcoming prosecutions of those in charge at the Borders Agency.
ReplyDeleteWhat's that? You mean this only applies to lorry drivers?
I flagged up this story the first time round and I thought it incredible then but this is sublime. An unmarked coach as inconspicous!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd it will be loads because the first folks to figure this one will have phoned back the details now won't they?
And what Jeff said. It's oddly enough very British - Colditz and all that.
I vote we let them through for sheer chutzpah and get-up-and-goability, and deport a BA staff member in exchange for each one...
ReplyDelete