Only one in five fake child migrants is sent back home

has been a worrying increase asylum intake in recent years.

“This is a good indicator of illegal entry into the UK.

“About a third of applications are granted but a large number of those refused still get to stay because it is so hard to remove them. The number of asylum-seeking children coming to the UK is now close to record levels.

“While it is important we afford protection in the UK to vulnerable children we cannot ignore the fact that more than half of them are found to be over age after a thorough assessment. Even then, only a small number are in ever sent back.” The findings shed light on the asylum chaos in the wake of the closure of the notorious Jungle migrant camp in Calais during October 2016. After the shantytown was flattened 750 “vulnerable minors” were granted sanctuary in the UK as part of a deal struck with France. Concern was raised at the time that many appeared to be over 18. In the final quarter of that year, documents show 1,176 applications for asylum were received from unaccompanied children – 1,006 male and 170 female. Across the whole of the year 575 of 3,290 claimants were found to be adults, but just 37 were removed.

David Davies, Tory MP for Monmouth, said: “These figures are not the whole picture. In many cases where age is in dispute the individual is given the benefit of the doubt.

“But they do point to an increasing problem of wholesale abuse of the asylum system by people who simply want to come here because they know they will be treated sympathetically once they arrive.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “We take our responsibility in asylum cases involving children very seriously and are very clear we will not tolerate abuse of the system, especially from adults claiming to be children.”