Heathrow offering travellers VIP 'queue-jumping' immigration service
PA
As the immigration chaos at Heathrow shows no sign of abating, news of a VIP service that allows you to jump the hefty queues for ÂŁ1,800 has emerged.
According to the Daily Mail, the fee covers up to six passengers, who are taken by limousine from the aircraft to a VIP suite, where they can sip Champagne while their passports are checked and their luggage is brought to them.
Critics have expressed outrage at the service after thousands of members of the public have been enduring queues of over three hours to get through passport control.
Government cutbacks and staff shortages have been blamed for the immigration chaos.
The news comes as a senior official at Heathrow warned that the airport effectively has 'no border controls', meaning that terrorists and criminals could get into Britain more easily because of the immigration crisis.
The former head of the UK Border Agency Brodie Clark said smugglers will be taking advantage of the Border Force problem.
He believes there are two ways to fix the crisis: firstly to employ more immigration staff, and secondly to consider a policy of 'risk-based checks'.
In effect, this would mean not carrying out checks on 'low-risk' travellers like British children returning from a school trip, for example.
He told the Mirror: : "I think we are wasting staff on unnecessary activity and low-risk activity – such low-level checks should be at the discretion of frontline officers."
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