Illegal immigrants trying to smuggle themselves onto Channel ferries by climbing into lorries is old news – but the illegal immigrant problem goes further and can apply to vans, too.

Leaving aside the problem of drivers deliberately trying to smuggle people into the UK (like this recent case at Hull), anyone driving a big van or a luton should still take care to keep the rear doors locked at all times, even when they are in the vehicle.

I often see luton vans driving around with unlocked roller doors – this may be an acceptable risk in the UK, but I would not recommend it if you are anywhere near a ferry port. This does not just apply to Dover-Calais crossings, either – as the case above shows, immigrants are quite willing to endure a longer crossing such as Hull-Rotterdam and perhaps even the Portsmouth/Plymouth-Bilbao service. Someone with a half-full hire van driving back from Spain would make an ideal target.

If you are in a hired luton van with a roller door that has no lock (quite common), make sure you take your own padlock to keep it secure while you are using the van, especially if you are driving abroad. Remember that you will be responsible for whatever ends up in the van – whether it’s illegal people or illegal drugs. You may also want to protect your own possessions from being stolen!

Both Customs and the UK Border Agency seem to be increasingly active at ferry ports. I recently travelled to the continent on the Hull-Rotterdam crossing and my van was stopped by customs for an inspection on the way out. On the way back, we were sniffed by a sniffer dog before boarding at Rotterdam and when we arrived in Hull, we found that the UK Border Agency were having a field day and checking everyone’s vehicle details on the computer as they came off the ferry.

The UK Border Agency makes no secret of the range of facilities at their disposal – sniffer dogs, heartbeat monitors and CO2 detectors all form part of its armoury, especially at Dover, which is the main point of entry to the UK for illegal immigrants. I have also had my van checked over by sniffer dogs at Rotterdam and Bilbao before now, so the chance of detection is quite hig, whichever route you are travelling on.

The law generally holds the driver responsible for the contents of their vehicle, even if people or drugs have been smuggled into the vehicle without the driver knowing. The best protection is good security and an open pair of eyes – you don’t want to be the one that gets caught out.