The extent of child trafficking into the UK has been revealed following a six-month police operation at Heathrow Airport.
The study has suggested that somewhere between 200 and 300 unaccompanied children arrive at the west London airport each week, with many of them being sent by their families in countries including west Africa, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Russia.
The Daily Mail reports that the figure was revealed by magistrate Richard Sumray at a meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority. He reportedly said: “This is the tip of the iceberg, and it is a very big iceberg. There are considerable numbers coming through on a weekly basis. We need to do something about them. If this is the scale of things at Heathrow, how many children are coming through Gatwick or Heathrow?”
