Suffolk MP says abandoned people-smuggling boats 'pose risks'

Boats which are used for smuggling people into the UK and abandoned in the sea posed "enormous risks" to shipping, an MP said.

Seafarers said rigid inflatables, which are about 8m (26ft), caused a hazard.

Peter Aldous, Conservative MP for Waveney in Suffolk, has written to the shipping minister and chief executive of HM Coastguard.

The Ministry of Defence said the operation to remove boats had been "far more effective than previous years".

Often the rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) are intercepted by authorities in the Strait of Dover with the people on board being rescued and taken into secure accommodation.

But the BBC has been told by seafarers that sometimes these boats were not being removed from the water and posed a threat to navigation along the English Channel and North Sea.

Mr Aldous said: "It poses enormous risks on a number of fronts - you've got the major international port of Felixstowe, ferries coming into Harwich and the like, and more activity with windfarms.

"These rigid inflatable boats are quite substantial and to have them floating around off the East Anglian coast, is completely irresponsible and a risk to shipping.

"Some of them are dark and a ferry could run into them at night and goodness knows what the implications would be."

As of 22 August, 22,557 migrants had crossed the English Channel in small boats since the start of the year.

Mr Aldous said: "These boats are designed and built in a very primitive way, probably only for one crossing, but there is a risk if you just leave them there, they could be picked up, used again and that could have absolutely devastating implications with those people who are being abused by people smugglers.

"You could have an absolutely horrific incident with one of these boats sinking.

"It really does need to be addressed as a matter of urgency."

The Ministry of Defence, which through the Royal Navy has jurisdiction over the British coastal waters, said people trafficking and illegal immigration broke British laws and anyone caught faced being sent to Rwanda to be processed through the asylum and immigration process.

A spokesperson said there was a "multi-agency approach both to removing empty small boats from the Channel and disposing of the contents, including fuel and engines, responsibly".

"The operation has been far more effective than previous years despite the increase in number of boats," they said.

"We are currently assessing the feasibility of introducing new capabilities into service in the coming months to be able to track empty boats and to improve the recovery rate still further."

HM Coastguard said its priority was "safety and the preservation of life".

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