Lille Loophole

[Gardian]

I put this under Travelling to/from France, but it should really be Travelling to/from Belgium!

This little piece of nonsense has tickled me all day. I've often boarded a London bound Eurostar at Lille and wondered why / how passengers were leaving the train (inbound from Brussels) there. It has been perfectly legitimate for Brussels - Lille passengers to use the Eurostar service: no problem with that, but of course they don't have to pass UKBA checks at Brussels.

What happens then is ................ well, nothing. By that I mean that if somebody just buys a ticket for that short leg and then stays on the train, then they not only get a free trip to the UK but more importantly, they can breeze in without any further border control. I can never remember any ticket check on the train Lille - London, so it sounds accurate.

A lot of talk today about closure of loopholes etc, etc. Apparently this has been known about for 10 years, and probably longer. Doubt that it has been a major cause of unlawful immigration, but what does amuse me is that something that has been known about for so long, has been ignored for so long.

[Cendrillon]

I also heard this story on the radio today, very interesting. Apparently British immigration officers doing the passports checks at the Brussels end have been reprimanded by Belgian police.

[idun]

I know someone who stayed on the train to Brussels when they fell asleep and missed Lille. So yes, it could happen easily the other way round, in fact, I'm sure it does.

[Théière]

I will phone the gnome off tomorrow [:-))]