Major questions have been raised over Britain’s ability to catch jihadist terrorist suspects returning to the country, after figures showed that thousands of illegal immigrants are disappearing through the UK’s porous borders every year.
The Home Office data, obtained by The Telegraph, show a dramatic increase in the proportion of immigrants who vanish after being stopped at border checks for carrying false passports or incorrect visas.
Seaports handling coach-loads of visitors, and border checks on the Eurostar route at Lille in France, are believed to have been particularly vulnerable to illegal immigrants in recent years.