Despite a coastal defence system appropriate to wartime, the migrants keep getting through

Despite a coastal defence system not seen in Britain since the end of the Second World War, the traffic in asylum-seekers continues unabated.

Immigration officers at ferry ports check lorries with carbon-monoxide detectors. British officials comb the carriages of Eurostar trains for unlawful migrants. And the entrance to the Channel Tunnel is protected with infra-red cameras and miles of perimeter fencing topped with barbed wire.

Ferry carriers, like airlines, face steep fines for conveying undocumented passengers. Stricter punishments have been introduced for traffickers. Yet, despite all this, the number of people coming to Britain to claim asylum is rising steadily.

The Home Office said yesterday that the number of asylum applications made in the July to September period was 29,100, including dependants, an 11 per cent rise on the previous quarter, and a 20 per cent rise on the same period in 2001. It also continues an uninterrupted growth in applications since the start of the year. The 62,480 claims in the first nine months of 2002 compares to 53,660 last year and suggests the total for 2002 will be the highest on record.

Although some claimants will be genuine refugees who have overcome great difficulties to reach this country, the nature of the asylum debate in Britain is such that an increase in applications is seen as a sign of governmental failure. Reports of the growing strain on public services have heightened public concerns.

The Immigration minister, Beverley Hughes, conceded yesterday that the figures were "not satisfactory", a comment described by the shadow Home Secretary, Oliver Letwin, as "the most remarkable understatement in the whole of this farcical saga".

Home Office ministers are clearly exasperated at trying to manage the issue. Since Labour came to power, a succession of initiatives has been introduced to remove the "pull factors" that are seen as drawing disproportionately high numbers to Britain.

Cash support was replaced with a voucher system (only to be reintroduced after uproar from rank-and-file Labour supporters); thousands of asylum-seekers were discouraged from settling in London and the South-east by being dispersed to hostels and bed-and-breakfast accommodation in Scotland, the Midlands and the North; steps have been taken to limit the right of asylum-seekers to work while claims are being assessed; and, as from early next year, those who claim asylum after having entered the country at an earlier date (some 46,000 in 2001), will not be entitled to support.

So far, the measures have not worked. Figures produced by the Office for National Statistics last week show that 126,000 more people (mostly asylum-seekers) migrated to the UK in 2001 than emigrated. In 1997, net immigration was 10,000.

For many, the attraction is work. Migrants believe they will find jobs and many employers are anxious to meet shortages of skilled and unskilled workers. In an effort to open channels for economic migrants and reduce abuse, the Government extended opportunities last week for seasonal agricultural workers and highly skilled IT specialists to come to Britain. It also opened talks with employers about which industries might benefit from importing low-skilled staff.

But the numbers involved in such contracts are low. Even under the extended scheme, only 25,000 seasonal workers will be allowed in. The number of highly skilled workers given access to the job market in the first nine months of the scheme was 990.

Meanwhile, thousands of others, with little prospect of being offered legitimate work, continue to head to Britain. Their determination is extraordinary and reflects the countries they have fled. Iraq is the current chief source country of asylum applications in Britain (4,300 applications in the quarter). Next on the list is Zimbabwe (2,105), although its citizens, from this month, will need a visa to reach this country. Claims from a previous chief source country, Afghanistan, fell last quarter to 1,555, the lowest level for two years.

The Home Office claimed yesterday that its latest raft of hardline measures had yet to kick in. From September, officials began using heartbeat detectors to find clandestine migrants. More fences have been built at French rail-freight depots, cutting the number of stowaways. In April, the Sangatte hostel outside Calais will be closed. But history shows that as one door closes another opens. Security measures are being stepped up at ports in Belgium and Normandy. But history shows that as one door closes another opens.