Queue here for Britain: Borders chaos returns to Heathrow as passengers face 'horrendous' delays at immigration - and the Olympics still haven't even started
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- Perfect storm as 650,000 Olympics visitors arrive at peak of holiday season
- Queues are already two and a half hours long stretching half a mile
- Officials ban restless passengers from taking pictures of the chaos
- Athletes get pink greeting desks manned by five staff
- But Border Force says everything will be OK because 'plans are in place'
- Olympics fast lanes open for VIPs as 'ordinary' drivers face £120 fines
ByRick Dewsbury5.39.217.769 ?9 x/ \0 s6 w. U5 d3 P! s" x
+ f& ?' m) d5 N! Y9 Z公仔箱論壇These are the pictures showing the 'horrendous' conditions passengers are being subjected to at Heathrow - a sea of stressed travellers in queues stretching half a mile through the airport. TVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。5 X6 x! g3 Q; n- t# \
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Crowds enduring the two and a half hour wait to get through immigration were photographed last week growing irritable as the airport swelled.5.39.217.76- B0 \) Z4 ~' B2 g+ Z# b4 J J
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Adding to their frustration, they were met with empty passport control desks and uninterested staff, according to the Daily Telegraph. And airport staff even said to have tried to stop them from taking pictures to try and keep the mess under wraps.公仔箱論壇 s% Z1 r) \# r. ^
1 ^% B Q0 z2 y! @$ G4 p4 I$ [5.39.217.76The chaotic scenes raised concerns over a 'perfect storm' as an extra 650,000 visitors arrive in the country for the Olympics at the height of the holiday season.
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* z1 r; b9 U0 M9 \TVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。
2 L4 \3 Q0 L* Z |* o, Q8 ROngoing delays: Frustrated passengers queue inside Heathrow last week to try and get through immigration in this picture taken by a traveller. Some people had to wait for up to two and a half hours in lines weaving through the airport tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb% Y+ x% B1 r7 g. C. Q; P
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Thousands of athletes descending on Britain from across the world over the next three weeks will also only to the pressure on the immigration system, the responsibility of the Home Office.
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^( w4 V d- h( p# vThe Immigration Service Union, which represents 4,500 border staff, said that the present problems were being made worse as only about half the current workers were fully trained to allow passengers from anywhere in the world entry.
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/ N" A1 X# d( C* X5.39.217.76The Olympics visitors will also arrive at the peak of summer when hundreds of thousands of families are taking foreign holidays, further adding to the strain at the airport.: b, W7 S9 h1 G+ h
- X- t1 p2 C( A3 {5.39.217.76One businessman who was waiting in the non-EU line said he had to wait more than two and a quarter hours on Friday. He had been returning to Britain from Italy and arrived at 8.30am but did not make it through immigration until 11am.
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* p( m* _" D; f! k3 G0 G' SThe long and winding queue: Passengers stand impatiently in one of the longest of the lines last week - stretching half a mile through the airport. To the right of them is a conveyor walkway with nobody on it
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Adding insult to injury: Passengers facing agonising waits can only look on at the infuriatingly empty immigration desks. Staff were even said to be unhelpful during the crowded situation& V9 J" V- k9 }' v2 F: `
' W. K9 ~: x$ W6 W- z6 U) J7 ^5.39.217.76'I have never seen anything like it,' the man, who did not wish to be named, told the Telegraph.
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$ B: O4 w5 b V& g公仔箱論壇'If they think they are going to be ready for the Olympics, which is now less than a month away, then this was a very poor training exercise – and it wasn’t even busy.'公仔箱論壇/ K; P) [6 W1 H+ s' ]) X
! G9 T& ]1 l* ]: K" @4 Y+ O. ?6 u1 x+ WAirport staff are said to have tried desperately to ban restless passengers from taking pictures of the scenes. But many people were still able to record the situation using camera phones.tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb' i* u; G3 }5 b% U
8 ]& Z$ E8 S# H) |3 e htvb now,tvbnow,bttvbDespite the long delays at immigration, Heathrow seemed to be going to great lengths to welcome athletes arriving in the country.% ^0 ]7 {+ g! U4 J; P
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A series of Olympics greeting desks manned by five members of staff have been rolled out across the airport.tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb. U3 M5 q4 o$ L; g, G9 j
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Yet when some passengers walked past them on Saturday evening, the staff were standing idle as they waited for athletes to arrive over the next few weeks.
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The bright pink 'accreditation' desks have been placed in four terminals to allow athletes to collect their passes for the Olympic village. The desks do not deal with immigration and athletes have to go through the same procedures as members of the public.公仔箱論壇# ]: a! w; y$ U9 J3 I
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They are manned by Olympics officials and Heathrow staff. There will also be 1,000 volunteers in bright garments scattered throughout the airport in the run up to the Olympics to help athletes.
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BAA admitted today that recent immigration queues at Heathrow were 'unacceptably' long.. \6 Y E0 r. ~ s9 s" |% n# m9 J, l
6 E; d/ P9 c5 _( S9 X" [8 UThe airport operator said the Home Office had promised all Border Force desks at Heathrow would be manned during the peak Olympics arrival times.5.39.217.76! j4 a: J) F. D- O3 d
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. K' E7 }" Y$ B$ n' [ }$ J! Z2 qBorder chaos: Passengers at Heathrow have complained about spending two and a half hours in queues through immigration... and it could get worse during the Olympics
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6 _9 |' \( x w7 Z8 oAthletes will be arriving from around the world but Unions claims that temporary border staff are not trained to deal with international passengers5.39.217.76 A l! a4 I, L9 c2 _, S2 L6 t
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But it added that the Home Office should be 'delivering a good experience for regular passengers as well as Olympic visitors'.
2 m* U* ^" C3 GA source within the organisation said that staff levels would be higher during the Olympics because contingency plans did not start for another two weeks.公仔箱論壇5 \0 D0 u! `6 ~9 C1 L
+ p- n6 i: a$ N: ^7 w3 zThey admitted 'minor' breaches of queuing time through immigration but claimed extra staff had been rolled out.tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb& n, C/ D& ^! a* Y4 k3 q
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Under its targets, the Border Force must get non-EU passport holders through immigration at Heathrow in less than 45 minutes for 95 per cent of the time.
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' B- n( P1 d7 s* u& @) K+ P5.39.217.76A Border Force spokesman said: 'We are fully prepared for the busy Olympic period and will be implementing well-rehearsed plans. This includes staffing all immigration desks at key ports whenever necessary.'
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+ ~1 Z, E0 w0 j6 q+ I0 qThe target for EU passport holders at Heathrow is less than 25 minutes for 95 per cent of the time.
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O u+ g& y0 Q8 J+ cA BAA spokesman said: 'Immigration is a matter for the Home Office. The Home Office has said that from July 15 all Border Force desks at Heathrow will be open during peak arrival periods.7 M9 p) r3 h8 P; h$ h0 f
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'Immigration waiting times for passengers during peak periods at Heathrow in the last few days have been unacceptably long and the Home Office should be delivering a good experience for regular passengers as well as Olympic visitors.'
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7 w% D# e7 n- D1 u' S7 {Shadow immigration minister Chris Bryant said that the Home Secretary had assured Parliament that the full summer capacity would be in place by now.5.39.217.76/ f2 J- O9 b* Q# J
3 h, L3 Z% `3 K: L/ zHe added that Britain cannot afford the 'queues or the lax security'.
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發表於 2012-7-3 05:56 AM
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