Airport errors allow thousands to bypass border checks on arrival

Six people a day are avoiding airport border checks after arriving in the UK.

Airport blunders have potentially allowed thousands of passengers to enter Britain without passing through immigration checks, raising new fears about border security.

Between 2013 and 2017, more than 11,000 arrivals bypassed border controls when they were sent the wrong way after their flights landed.

Figures released by the Home Office, after a Freedom of Information request, showed that 2,328 passengers were misdirected last year – an increase of 70 per cent compared with 1,364 in 2016.

The Home Office stressed that all misdirected passengers are subsequently returned to border control or, where this is not possible, retrospectively checked against security and immigration watch lists.

There were no examples of dangerous individuals arriving unchecked because of a misdirection, the department said.

Ministers are considering fines of up to £50,000 on airlines and airports if they fail to take reasonable steps to avoid misdirections. However, the Airport Operators Association believes the proposal is “disproportionate”.