LONDON: The revelations about border controls at Britain’s biggest airport come amid fresh criticism of the government’s immigration policy.
Ministers today announced a crackdown on landlords who rent properties to illegal immigrants, and yesterday launched a consultation on cutting payments given to failed asylum families.
While the focus in recent days has been on Channel Tunnel and ferry ports, a report into controls at Heathrow will also raise fresh questions about how stringent checks are.
David Bolt, the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, released a report into Border Force operations at Heathrow.
Inspectors spent almost 25 hours monitoring the work of customs staff at Terminal 5, and found that often no-one was on duty checking people at the so-called Primary Control Point (PCP) in the arrivals hall.
Passengers should be asked to show their travel documents and can be questioned by Immigration Officers about their reasons for entering the UK.
