Illegal Immigrants Target Poole Port

UK Border Agency officers have stopped four would-be illegal immigrants in the space of two days at Poole port.

On Tuesday 13 September, officers checking passengers on the 6.30am ferry from Cherbourg stopped a man and a woman who were travelling on Finnish passports which would have entitled them entry to the UK as European Economic Area (EEA) nationals.

But an inspection revealed that the passports were counterfeit. A baggage search uncovered a genuine Albanian passport for the 31-year-old man, while the 33-year-old woman had a Turkish passport.

The pair were arrested and handed to Dorset Police who have charged them with offences under the ID Cards Act. They are due to appear in Bournemouth Magistrates Court on 21 September.

The following day (14 September) UK Border Agency officers stopped two men aboard the 6.30am ferry from Cherbourg..

The pair – aged 23 and 35 – were travelling on Polish passports which would have allowed them to enter the UK without also needing a visa.

Closer inspection revealed that the passports were forgeries and that the men were Ukrainian nationals.

They were removed to France on the same day and the French authorities indicated that the pair would be prosecuted there for using the forged documents.

Carole Upshall, UK Border Agency Director for the South region, said:

"These cases show the type of offences our officers have to deal with at the UK's border.

"People go to great lengths to acquire convincing documents indicating they are a different person or nationality.

"Fortunately, our officers are skilled at stopping fraudulent attempts to enter Britain."