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Illegal migrants to Britain stopped at north German port

Xinhua, May 21, 2016 Adjust font size:

German security forces have repeatedly apprehended migrants trying to travel illegally by ship to Britain from Cuxhaven harbour in north Germany in the past few months, German media reported on Friday.

As local media Cuxhavener Nachrichten reported, the German federal police have been observing the phenomenon since last autumn. The police and port operators have reacted by massively amplifying safety precautions.

A police spokesperson was quoted as saying that migrants that have been caught attempting to undertake the journey are mostly young men from Albania and Kosovo who overcame fences at the port area under the cover of dusk. They particularly targeted trucks to be loaded onto cargo ships, which travel regularly between Cuxhaven and Britain.

The report said the refugees tried to slit open the tarps on trucks before hiding on the loading area.

Recently, Britain handed back three Albanians, who travelled to England illegally through Cuxhaven, last Monday to the German authorities.

According to the police spokesman, the security forces now are able to catch the vast majority of illegal travelers in Cuxhaven.

As German media Spiegel Online reported, a total of 32 cases involving 60 persons arrested by the security staff of the port and German police have been recorded. Endit