Up to 21,000 migrants ‘entered the UK undetected’ last year alongside the 54,563 who arrived in the back of lorries, ferries or dinghies across the Channel

• Around 30,000 people said they did not enter the UK on small boats in 2022
• Almost 9,000 migrants were detected by Border Force in the same year
• This indicates that around 21,000 migrants entered without being detected

The Government has revealed that an estimated 21,000 migrants entered the UK undetected last year. 

Figures obtained by the Times from a Home Office source showed that around 30,000 people who submitted an asylum application stated they did not enter the country on small boats and instead travelled by other means. 

Official Home Office data also shows that almost 9,000 illegal migrants attempted to enter without adequate documents and were detected by the Border Force at airports, ports and other parts of the UK. 

This indicates that around 21,000 migrants that went on to submit asylum applications entered the UK without being detected. 

This was in addition to 54,563 migrants who arrived in the UK last year by small boats, on the back of lorries and ferries, or were picked up by authorities elsewhere up to 72 hours after their arrival.

The Government has revealed that an estimated 21,000 migrants entered the UK undetected last year

Migrants try to enter the UK in lorries bound to Portsmouth at the Ouistreham Ferry Port in Caen on the north western coast of France

A migrant sits under the trailer of a lorry as he attempts to cross the English Channel in Calais 

A total of 14,782 people have crossed the Dover Straits in 320 boats so far this year, compared to a record 45,755 people who made the journey in 2022, according to official Government figures. 

Last month saw a total of 3,299 asylum seekers make the treacherous journey across the Channel in 63 boats – an average of 52 people crammed into each vessel.

READ MORE: First August migrants arrive in UK after 60mph cross-Channel winds halted people-traffickers’ deadly trade for a week 

The busiest day of crossings this year came on July 7 when 686 migrants arrived in the UK in a 24-hour period alone.

Dozens of migrants were seen entering the UK yesterday for the first time this month after 60mph cross-Channel winds halted crossings for more than a week.

A Border Force vessel escorted the mostly male group into the harbour at Dover, Kent, shortly before 11am yesterday morning.

The migrants, who could be seen removing their orange life-jackets as they disembarked the boat, are the first to make the perilous journey across the 21-mile Dover Straits this month.

It comes as people smugglers are said top be cashing in twice by bringing illegal immigrants into Britain and helping wanted criminals – including murderers – escape across the Channel.

The Albanians are brazenly advertising emergency journeys in the back of lorries for ‘people who have problems and want to leave England as soon as possible’.

One told a Mail undercover reporter – posing as the relative of a man on the run after killing someone – he could escape to the Continent that night for £3,000.

Another smuggler account running on Tiktok offers a £17,500 bespoke service for escaping criminals by forging documents for them to pose as a second driver in the cab of a lorry. The trafficker said the trick was routinely used to spirit illegal immigrants into the UK.

Dozens of migrants were seen entering the UK yesterday for the first time this month after 60mph cross-Channel winds halted crossings for more than a week

The migrants, who could be seen removing their orange life-jackets as they disembarked the boat, are the first to make the perilous journey across the 21-mile Dover Straits this month

A total of 14,782 people crossed the Dover Straits in 320 boats so far this year, while In 2022, compared to a record 45,755 people who made the journey in 2022, according official Government figures

READ MORE: The Albanian people-smuggling gangs providing RETURN journeys to help criminals escape from Britain in brazen TikTok adverts 

In Germany, one alleged kingpin suspected of masterminding the illegal boat journeys of 10,000 migrants across the Channel to Britain has been lost by police.

The suspect, named only as Dirk P in court papers, was discovered by armed police hiding in a hayloft at his farm in Lotte, Germany, as they targeted a gang alleged to be running the migrant flotilla from the French coast.

The 41-year-old was arrested in March — but has vanished thanks to European Union human rights laws.

It emerged this week that the German authorities were forced to free him when a court halted his extradition to Belgium for questioning over human smuggling offences.

A Home Office spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘We are relentless in our pursuit of those who seek to enter the UK illegally. 

‘Border Force have robust measures in place to detect clandestine entrants into the UK and stand ready to respond to any methods deployed.

‘In the first quarter of 2023, Immigration Enforcement teams delivered 3,228 enforcement visits, a 53% increase on the same period last year, and since the PM set out his plan to stop the boats in December, arrests have more than doubled since the same period last year.’

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