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A £2million X-ray scanner meant to spot illegal immigrants hiding in lorries at Dover was out of action for a week last month, sources said.

The report in the Express says that the X-ray scanners are plagued by breakdowns and often switched off, according to claims.

The report also tells of a machine on the French border which is supposed to catch those trying to slip across the Channel has also suffered faults, union chiefs claimed.

One source at Dover said: “It is ridiculous to spend all this money on that sort of hi-tech machine and have it breaking down all the time. These problems just make it far easier for illegal immigrants to make their way in.”

John Tincey of the Immigration Service Union said a scanner operated by British officers in France has had a number of breakdowns.

He added: “None are 100 per cent effective and the more technical ones are more likely to break down.”