Home Secretary Anounces Secure Zone in Calais

Published: 14 July 2015

Home Secretary Anounces Secure Zone in Calais
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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.
 
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Footage showing migrants trying to break in to UK bound lorries

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
 





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