A leading transport insurance mutual has highlighted a change in the tactics used by people trying to gain illegal access to the UK through the Channel Tunnel.
A leading transport insurance mutual has highlighted a change, and the increased danger, in the tactics used by people trying to gain illegal access to the UK through the Channel Tunnel.
The TT Club has also warned that the war on terrorism should not hide this "serious human and economic problem".
It pointed to last month's detention of 74 clandestine entrants in a single day (6 November) as an example of the scale of the problem.
The TT Club, which provides liability and equipment insurance to the transport and logistics industry, said stowaways were now gaining access to cargo containers deep in central Europe, where security checks for human presence were less common.
In the past, they had usually tried to board freight trains at the Frethun freight yards in France.
TT Club's London-based intermodal transport claims expert Colin Fordham said: "It is becoming increasingly popular to board wagons in central Europe on trains which transit the Channel Tunnel without stopping at French marshalling yards."
Another change of tactics is an increased use by stowaways of closed dry bulk containers. After the containers have been filled through the loading ports in the container roof, stowaways are gaining access to the container and unhooking the liners inside, creating a space of three to five feet above the cargo contents in which they pass the journey.
"There is a very real danger of the loose bulk cargo shifting in transit and any stowaways inside being smothered," said Fordham.
"In addition, it is all too likely that the shipments could be delayed or even diverted en route, leaving anybody inside the containers stranded. And if the boxes are placed into stacks for long-term storage, this could also prove fatal."
