Port ‘has become magnet’ for illegal immigrants
THE port where a lorry trailer containing 39 suspected migrants arrived in the UK has been described by people living nearby as a “magnet” for illegal immigrants.
All 39 people inside the lorry were found dead at an industrial estate in Grays, Essex, where it was parked on Wednesday.
Essex Police said the container travelled on a ship from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Purfleet.
While there is no suggestion that any of those arrested this week are linked to other incidents, illegal migration has been an ongoing problem generally.
Janet Lilley, who lives by the port in Purfleet, said that around a decade ago she started to notice people “wandering around with suitcases, backpacks” and they “kept asking where’s the station” in broken English.
The 61-year-old said that dozens of torn-up pages of passports have blown into her garden and that she reported this to police.
“Over the last few years it’s got worse,” she said.
“People would come strolling out of the docks, get in the vans and that’s it, they drive off.”
She said the people coming out are “acting suspiciously, they’re dishevelled” and the port does not have a passenger terminal. “It’s so sad,” she said.
“I can’t imagine a worse death. “I know they shouldn’t be there because they’re trying to get in illegally, but the point is they’re humans and they’re being exploited.”
She claimed that security at the port is “virtually non-existent”. “It’s a magnet for illegals,” she said.
Lee Tubby (45), who lives opposite the port, said he has seen people “climbing out the top and out the back” of lorries and cutting the plastic roof covering to climb through.
“We’ve had people just come out of the port knocking on the door asking for shoes, asking for water,” he said.
Another made a bonfire under a bench to cook some food after he was chased out of the port by security, he said.
The forklift truck driver said there was a lack of staff and that groups of illegal immigrants were able to get away after they were stopped.
“They’ve got one security guard with them or one police officer and when they decide they’re going to bolt, what do you do? Your hands are tied.”
His neighbour Susan Bridge (47) said she has seen vans waiting to pick people up, minibuses lined up and illegal immigrants walking along the road.
“I wouldn’t say it was even a secret to be perfectly honest, we all know that it’s going on in this area,” the retail worker said.
She said people have alerted police to suspicious activity and illegal immigrants have been detained by the authorities but “it continues to go on”.
“Unless you have police and security checking every single lorry coming in and out then it’s going to continue,” she said.
Purfleet, on the River Thames, is among a number of the “less busy” ports which, according to the National Crime Agency, smugglers have been using more often.
Other east coast ports identified by the NCA as being used to illicitly bring in migrants include Tilbury, also in Essex, and Hull.