Illegal Migrants Seen Sleeping Under a Bridge Reveal the Shocking Truth About Others and How They Came to the UK

A growing people-smuggling trade in Britain has raised fears that Dover could develop camps similar to the old “Calais Jungle”, adding more pressure to local communities.

Migrants have reportedly been sleeping in tents and under bridges near Dover’s ferry port as criminal gangs take advantage of gaps in the visa system.

Sleeping bags were found under a bridge on Monday, with clothes and rubbish scattered across the ground.

Researchers from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC) said some migrants contact smugglers only days after arriving in the UK on visitor or student visas. They do this because they want to travel on to other European countries, where entry rules can be stricter.

Giulia D’Amico, from the organisation, said Dover had become a temporary gathering point for migrants. She said some were sleeping under bridges and near areas used by lorries, creating scenes similar to those seen in the Calais Jungle years ago.

A Senegalese man staying in Dover said people were “sleeping everywhere”, including in parks and along the waterfront.

The situation has raised concerns that criminal gangs are taking advantage of weaknesses in Britain’s border and visa systems.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised the Government, saying Britain’s borders were not being properly controlled. He argued that some people who cannot easily obtain visas to enter countries such as France or Spain are able to get visas to enter the UK before trying to travel elsewhere.

He called for much tighter checks on visas to prevent people from entering Britain with the intention of using the country as a route into other parts of Europe.

Linden Kemkaran, Reform’s leader on Kent County Council, also criticised the situation. She said organised criminal groups were using Kent as a place where people could arrive, wait and then be moved on.

She claimed taxis were dropping people at lay-bys, lorries were being used to transport migrants and some people were sleeping under bridges in Dover while waiting for smugglers to move them.

Criminal gangs are also believed to be offering routes from Britain to France, Germany, Spain and other European countries. Some of these services are reportedly being promoted on TikTok and other social media platforms.

However, researchers say there is currently no single gang controlling the entire route between Britain and France.

Kurdish criminal groups are believed to control many small-boat departure points, with different groups competing for control of launch areas.

D’Amico said the situation in Dover was different because the smuggling network remained fragmented. People from countries including Algeria, Romania, Poland, Lithuania and parts of South Asia are believed to be involved in recruitment, transport and hiding people.

The National Crime Agency has confirmed that some gangs involved in cross-Channel smuggling operate in both directions, helping people enter and leave the UK illegally.

A 20-year-old Senegalese man who arrived in Britain about 18 months ago spoke about the situation in Dover. He said some people try to reach France hidden inside lorries, although he described the journey as dangerous.

He said some people leave Britain after their asylum claims are rejected and that those without the right to stay can find themselves with little or no support.

He also said people were sleeping in parks and along the waterfront, adding that those who had escaped war zones were among those he believed needed the most help.

In January, 23 Bangladeshi men were found inside a lorry as it approached Dover ferry port.

Five people were later charged in connection with an alleged plan to smuggle migrants out of Britain. Three taxi drivers, aged between 43 and 55, were arrested separately on suspicion of helping illegal immigration. A 32-year-old Romanian lorry driver was also arrested.

A 43-year-old man believed to be the suspected leader of the group was arrested in the New Cross area of London. Around £30,000 in cash was also seized from a property.

The group was allegedly involved in attempts to smuggle Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals out of the UK.

D’Amico warned that the way authorities respond could affect how the smuggling trade develops. She said continued pressure on criminal groups could lead to stronger and better-funded gangs becoming more dominant because they may be more willing to take risks and avoid detection.

She said cross-Channel smuggling was no longer mainly about people coming into Britain. It now operates in both directions and uses the same transport networks while taking advantage of differences between UK and European immigration laws.

The National Crime Agency said the same criminal gangs can sometimes be involved in both bringing people into Britain and helping others leave illegally.

The agency said targeting these gangs was important because they threaten border security in both Britain and France and put the lives of the people they transport at serious risk.

The NCA also said some people use these criminal networks to get around French visa restrictions or avoid attracting the attention of law enforcement.