ON more than one occasion the Channel has proved our saving grace.
That, and the Royal Navy, of course.
Those were the days when we had the vessels to patrol our home waters and deter invaders, and anyone else with a nefarious aim, for that matter.
Today, thousands of miles of our coastline are policed by just three Border Force patrol vessels.
Worse, a round-the-clock maritime aerial surveillance contract with Dorset aviation company Cobham was reportedly cancelled in January.
Well, where opportunity proffers its hand, people smugglers are only too willing to oblige.
More and more evidence proves what we all thought, that migrants are being smuggled into the country and there’s precious little we can do about it.
Last Sunday 18 Albanians and two Britons were rescued from their sinking vessel off Kent.
Days earlier, another boat was found abandoned, complete with lifejackets, on the sands at Dymchurch.
Lucy Moreton, general secretary of the Immigration Services Union, says anecdotal evidence suggests the problem is growing.
She adds that migrants are taking desperate measures as security is tightened at the Channel Tunnel and ports.
In response to the recent incidents, maritime security will be bolstered by new boats and operational hubs on the south coast, although not before next year at the earliest.
Border Force officials now also have increased powers to “stop, board, divert and detain” vessels and make arrests.
However, these measures are unlikely to stem the tide, with the exodus from Libya across the Mediterranean booming.
Meanwhile, the EU’s arrangements with Turkey are shaky at best.
While different consideration must be given to genuine refugees, porous borders across the EU make it impossible to deter economic migrants, who understandably are searching for a better life.
But deter them we must, as unmanaged immigration is simply not sustainable or desirable.