Peers highlight Calais fence hole

The committee revealed inadequate fencing at the French port would allow "determined" illegal immigrants to get inside and hide after the vehicles had passed through security.

The peers, who visited Calais as part of an investigation into Europe's borders, said 1,500 illegals a year were found in parked vehicles after security checks.

The revelation will be hugely embarrassing for the Home Office, which has spent millions providing hi-tech scanning equipment in Calais and other European ports.

Heartbeat sensors, CO2 probes to detect exhaled breath and "passive millimetre wave" scanners which can "see" through vehicles have all been provided at the UK taxpayer's expense.

The equipment has been operating at Calais since October 2004.

Chairman of the House of Lords EU Committee on Home Affairs, Lord Jopling, said: "Our visit to the juxtaposed British and French border controls at Calais showed that there are excellent new technologies deployed to prevent illegal migration to the UK.

"However, we were surprised to find inadequate fencing, the replacement of which might prevent 1,500 illegal immigrants a year from boarding lorries bound for Britain.

"This would be entirely in British interests. The British and French authorities must take immediate action to remedy this."

The report said the poor fencing was the "one weak point in an otherwise excellent system".