SUFFOLK Police have joined officers from Essex, Customs and Excise, and the Immigration Service to clamp down on illegal immigrants coming into the County.

SUFFOLK Police have joined officers from Essex, Customs and Excise, and the Immigration Service to clamp down on illegal immigrants coming into the County.

About 70 boats were stopped in an effort to find smugglers and gather information that could help in the fight against illegal immigration.

The Authorities know that Suffolk has many natural harbours which can be used for people smuggling.

In recent months several people have been successfully prosecuted bringing illegal immigrants into the United Kingdom.

They charge large sums of money to help immigrants enter the country illegally, often they continue to extort money from their victims once they arrive here.

Officers made tours of the marinas in the County spoke to those people who were moored up about immigration crime.

The overwhelming response from the boating fraternity was one of support for the initiative.

A great deal of useful intelligence was gathered and while no arrests were made or stowaways discovered there are plans to conduct further exercises of a similar nature in the future.

The timing of the exercise was lucky for one 54-year-old man who suffered a heart attack while at sea on Monday.

The Essex Police Marine Unit was nearby and was able to rescue him and take him to shore. He was then taken to hospital by ambulance.

Funding for this Operation, which ran from Friday to yesterday, was provided by the Home Office as part of their project known as RELFEX.