Crackdown on social media migrant ads

SOCIAL media users who tout illegal routes into the UK face up to five years in prison, starting today.

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People thought to be migrants onboard a small boat in the Channel

The Home Office will activate part of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, passed last year, as part of its crackdown on adverts telling migrants how they can circumvent immigration checks.

Border security minister Alex Norris told the Press Association his message to people smugglers is: “We are coming after you.”

The National Crime Agency (NCA) Online Communications Centre will trawl through thousands of social media accounts as part of the crackdown.