The Home Office has commissioned an "urgent review" of Channel security procedures after a second small boat in 48 hours slipped past French patrols and landed on the Kent coast without interception. Early on 23 September, a 6-metre inflatable carrying 51 people spent more than 36 hours at sea before being escorted into Dover by the RNLI and Border Security Command vessels. Hours later, a separate craft with 21 people reached Samphire Hoe beach, apparently unseen by radar or aerial surveillance. Ministers said the review will examine gaps in coastal radar coverage, staffing levels in the new Border Security Command, and the effectiveness of joint patrols agreed with France last year. Front-line officers have repeatedly warned that ageing coastal-surveillance equipment and a shortage of drone pilots have left “blind spots” that smugglers increasingly exploit. Business groups are watching the situation closely. Unscheduled migrant landings trigger “lock-down” protocols at Dover’s Eastern Docks and the Channel Tunnel terminal, delaying freight and coach traffic for hours. Logistics UK estimates every hour of disruption costs hauliers £2 million in wasted fuel, driver overtime and missed delivery slots. A September survey of corporate travel managers found 62 % had already rerouted staff movements away from Dover this year to avoid unpredictability. The political stakes are high. Prime Minister Andy Burnham campaigned on re-establishing “safe and legal routes” while halving irregular arrivals by 2027. So far in 2026, 17,784 migrants have crossed the Channel—only 4 % below last year’s pace. Opposition MPs accuse the government of “changing the unit’s name but not fixing the kit”. For global-mobility and relocation teams, the immediate implication is the potential for tighter checks at south-coast ports. The Home Office has already hinted at more frequent in-country status spot-checks on foreign lorry drivers and seasonal workers in the weeks ahead. Companies moving staff or goods through Kent should build extra buffer time into travel schedules and ensure that employees – especially non-visa nationals entering under Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) – carry evidence of their UK immigration status in digital and paper form.
Source: Sky News / The Guardian
