The lesser known illegal immigration route into the UK ‘under the sea’

Sky News investigation reveals a people smuggler claiming that for £24,000 he can arrange for a migrant to be brought in a Ranger Rover

The smuggler has claimed to be bringing migrants via the Channel Tunnel with fake documents, as Sky News talked to a former border control worker who said they were “overwhelmed”.

"When people thing of illegal migration into the UK, they often think of small boat crossing, however few realise that there is another route 'under the sea'," says a civil servant of the Home Office.

The former border control officer mentions how hard the job could get seeing how many passengers came through.

“If somebody's managing to get through and they're that confident that they can sit openly in the car, then you have to ask yourself, is it the technology, or is it the officer on the desk?

You might look at a vehicle and think, 'Okay, it's a British vehicle – they're coming home.”

Sky News also talked with a current UK border officer who claims there are staff shortages, telling Sky News they believe there needs to be continuing investment in training and technology.

The officer states it could help with the sheer volume of passengers coming through the Channel Tunnel.

"We deal with people in immigration cases who tell us they came through the Channel Tunnel using fake passports," said a civil servant of the Home Office.

While the Channel Tunnel "is still a problem" according to the civil servant, small boat crossings "are taking up a lot of the publicity because that's what you see every day".

However, the people smuggling business doesn’t stop when the border is crossed. 

Many of the migrants are exploited, often not having sufficient funds to compensate for a single trip to the UK. 

People smugglers, and others in similar businesses, often fuel the drug trade in the UK, having passengers pay by working for them.

Sky News’ investigation shows the Albanian people smuggler offering a drug dealing job for the migrant, as he couldn’t fund the trip in its entirety.