Aid workers with megaphones asking for children who want to go to UK

Two top charities caused a frenzy after falsely claiming a 'child refugee' was an adult interpreter as young migrants hid under blankets as they arrived in Britain for the first time today.

The Home Office has been forced to confirm the unnamed asylum seeker from Afghanistan, aged by face recognition software as being 38, was a migrant and not an employee.

Overnight thousands including Gary Lineker and other stars tweeted about charity claims that the migrant was an adult interpreter helping border officials at Croydon immigration centre.

TACT, the UK's largest fostering and adoption charity, appear to have assumed one asylum seeker who arrived yesterday was older than 18 and tweeted: 'This is a picture of an adult interpreter working for @ukhomeoffice'.

George Gabriel of Citizens UK also said yesterday: 'We think one of the photos is actually a translator accompanying the children' and the BBC was also criticised online for reporting the false claim, debunked by the Home Office this morning.

It came as migrants and charity workers in Calais' Jungle camp admitted the 'majority' of young migrants are 'lying' about their age to get to Britain as children because it gives them a better chance to enter the UK.

Row: Charities falsely claimed this child migrant arriving at Croydon from Calais yesterday was an interpreter, the Home Office has said

New arrivals: Child migrants covered their faces with blankets as they arrived in Britain today

TACT made claims that the asylum seeker was an interpreter, which was later ruled out by the Home Office

Reaction: Several high profile twitter users admitted that had also tweeted the claims before they were debunked

The Home Office has refused to order dental checks on the new arrivals - insisting they were 'unethical' and 'intrusive' and unless the asylum seeker appears 'significantly' over 18, they should be 'afforded the benefit of the doubt and treated as children'.

New life: A child refugee arrives in Croydon today as he prepares to be rehomed after leaving Calais

Abdalla, a Sudanese migrant in Calais, told The Times: 'Of course people lie about their age here, probably a majority do', adding: 'If that stops children from getting to Britain, it's a real problem'.

A volunteer for Care4Calais, charity worker Declan, said: 'Maybe a few of them are lying. But when you see the conditions here, I can understand that some of them are lying.'

In recent days charity TACT has been tweeting about the young migrants and saying that people questioning their ages are 'racist'.

Former footballer Gary Lineker last night hit back at criticism he received online after wading into the debate about child refugees.

The Match Of The Day presenter said public treatment of the young migrants arriving this week in the UK was 'hideously racist'.

Tact backed the star and said: 'Thank-you to Gary Lineker on behalf of all the unaccompanied children we look after at for calling out the racists in our society'.

Today said it 'regretted' its migrant tweet and removed it.

A spokesman said: 'With regard to a recent tweet by TACT questioning the status of an individual male in a photograph at Calais, our information was from a credible source. However, if the male is indeed a migrant and not an interpreter, TACT regrets any concern caused. The tweet has now been withdrawn as we do not want to cause any further distress to the individual depicted'.

The BBC declined to comment on the criticism of their coverage but said that they had reported them as claims and allegations and had also reported the Home Office's confirmation the migrant is not an interpreter.

Welcome: Well-wishers stood outside the reception centre holding banners to welcome the new arrivals

Row: Some have claimed that the refugees, who are mainly young men, appear to look over the age of 18

Around 200 unaccompanied children with family already in the UK will be brought across the Channel by the end of the week, according to French police.

A young woman walks into Lunar House in Croydon - one of the first to arrive in Britain

Different approach: Some were happy to be be photographed as more than a dozen more child refugees entered the UK

Children are arriving in the UK for the fourth day today after sometimes spending months in the Jungle camp

A third coachload of young refugees arrived from Calais yesterday, pictured in France yesterday, including several who again appeared older than typical teenagers

Last night the head of the children's charity said officials had not been given adequate time to prepare for the youngsters' arrival - including organising foster homes.

Andy Elvin told ITV News: 'It's a complete shambles - and it's a completely avoidable shambles as well.

STARS AND ACTIVISTS TO MAKE PLEA FOR JUNGLE CAMP CHILDREN ON STAGE Juliet Stevenson, Carey Mulligan, refugees and activists will stage a poignant last plea for the unaccompanied children in the Calais 'Jungle' camp. A reading of the Dublin III regulation, which sets out a refugee child's right to claim asylum, will be performed by them at the Young Vic theatre in London to urge the Government to speed up the resettlement process. With the bulldozers poised to begin the flattening of the sprawling site in northern France, concerns are growing for the children who may not be brought safely to the UK in time. Truly, Madly, Deeply star Stevenson, a staunch campaigner for vulnerable refugee children, said there was 'great concern' that if they were not relocated soon, they would go missing. She told the Press Association: 'Many of them are already in a terrible state of panic and fear about what happens when those police come in and demolish it. 'The great concern is how to transfer these most vulnerable children, in both the Dublin and Dubs categories, safely in the next few days so that they don't disappear and panic or get picked up by traffickers.' Advertisement

'This is wholly the responsibility of Amber Rudd and Theresa May because the officials aren't to blame, the officials haven't been allowed to do sensible planning for these children coming over.'

Fourteen more migrants from the Calais jungle camp arrived in London to begin their new lives in Britain today.

But many covered their heads in blankets to hide their faces at they got off a coach in Croydon, south London, before meeting immigration officials.

The coach pulled up at around 11.45am, with its curtains drawn, hiding the new arrivals.

There appeared to be just one female migrant among the latest arrivals from the controversial refugee camp.

And many who asked not to be photographed appeared older than teenagers.

A security guard told journalists that the first group were happy to have their photographs taken, while the second group were not.

Five boys, who appeared to be aged between 14 and 16, walked off the bus and into Lunar House when the immigration and visa centre is based.

Some smiled as they stepped towards the Home Office building, while others walked quickly, anxious to get inside.

The first youngster, who appeared to be about 13 and wearing a yellow hoodie, grinned as he saw the reception, while a security guard held his arm in front of him.

A further four lads followed him, who appeared to a few years older, between 16 and seventeen.

Several were wrapped up for the British weather in jumpers.

The second group, nine in total, looked significantly less happy to see the crowds.

Reaction: Many accused the press of lying that the man was a migrant all based on a Twitter rumour

Jack Straw last night led demands for age tests on child refugees brought to Britain.

He warned the row over whether they were really adults risked undermining public confidence in the asylum system.

The Home Office yesterday refused to order dental checks on the arrivals, saying it would be unethical and intrusive. But Mr Straw insisted he would never have ruled out using such tests when he was Home Secretary under Tony Blair.

Tory MP David Davies also called for dental checks, which are common practice in other countries.

A third coachload of young refugees arrived from Calais yesterday, including several who again appeared older than typical teenagers. They included the youth who singer Lily Allen tearfully apologised to 'on behalf of Britain'.

Child migrants covered their faces as they arrived in Britain today as it emerged Jungle aid workers are rounding up children using megaphones.

Charities helping the passage of child refugees into the UK from France have called the process run by the Home Office a 'shambles'.

Beth Gardiner-Smith – from British charity Citizens UK, which oversees the safe passage of child refugees into Britain – told Newsnight the process has become a 'bit of a muddle' and 'shambolic'.

She said: 'In the camp, you've had people with megaphones, walking around calling for children to come forward and register themselves on separate lists [of UK charities seeking to help them].'

As debate raged over the migrants, it emerged that:

16 EU countries have used dental checks to help determine ages of asylum seekers or refugees;

Officials are dishing out arbitrary dates of birth because genuine ages are impossible to verify;

Children are being rounded up in Calais by charity workers with megaphones

Town halls facing huge support bills threatened a revolt if it turns

Town halls threatened a revolt last night if they were burdened with bogus child refugees from Calais.

It came as computer analysis of photographs of the 'child migrants' who arrived in London from the Jungle camp this week suggests many could be in their 20s and 30s.

A local government chief warned migrants suspected of lying about being under 18 could be put through age checks.

Computer analysis of photographs of the 'child migrants' who arrived in London from the Jungle camp this week suggests many could be in their 20s and 30s

Facial recognition software written by Microsoft suggested these two 'child' migrants were aged in their 30s

The global software giant stressed yesterday that its How Old Do I Look? program was a 'fun app' that 'guesses how old you look using machine learning'

Free health, education and housing will be withdrawn if they fail, said David Simmonds of the Local Government Association.

'What we don't know yet is the process of verification the Home Office may have undertaken to establish the age of people,' he added.

'We know a significant proportion of people who come to the UK under existing arrangements, claiming to be children, turn out to be over the age of 18, which has been a big problem for councils.

'It is certainly possible that young people arriving from Calais, as unaccompanied asylum-seeking children needing support, will be refused support if there are doubts about their age.'

Analysis of photographs of some of the 'child' migrants arriving in London over the past few days suggests some could be older than they claim.

The facial recognition software written by Microsoft even suggested one migrant was 38.

The global software giant stressed yesterday that its How Old Do I Look? program was a 'fun app' that 'guesses how old you look using machine learning'.

A spokesman said: 'It is not intended to be used as a definitive assessment of age.'

It came as it emerged that the migrants – who are supposed to be 17 or younger – are being given arbitrary dates of birth because the Home Office cannot verify their ages.

Haris Stanikzai, who arrived on Monday, said he was 16 – but he had been given an 'official' date of birth that makes him 17.

The Afghan youngster, who does not have a birth certificate, said the Home Office told him that he was born on January 1, 1999.

Haris told the Mail: 'I am 16 years old.' His uncle Jan Ghazi added: 'I do not know the exact day and month that he was born, but he is my nephew and I know, I can see, that he is 16.

'The Home Office may have said that his birth is on a particular date and I do not want to have an argument with them over it, but he is younger.'

Analysis of photographs of some of the 'child' migrants arriving in London over the past few days suggests some could be older than they claim

A third wave of 'child' migrants arrived in Britain from the Calais Jungle today - but the Home Office refused to carry out dental checks to prove their real age

If a refugee does not have a birth certificate, a Home Office screening officer can certify them as a child based on their 'physical appearance and demeanour'.

Unless the asylum seeker appears 'significantly' over 18, they should be 'afforded the benefit of the doubt and treated as children'.

When officials believe the refugee is a child but not the age they claim, screening officers will estimate a date of birth and write the word 'disputed' on their application form.

'CENSORSHIP' ROW AS BBC PIXELATES MIGRANTS' FACES The BBC was accused of 'censoring' the child migrants story by making it impossible for viewers to see their faces. The corporation's news programmes obscured footage of some of the new arrivals by blurring their heads. Critics said it was a nonsensical way to report on a row about whether the migrants looked older than children, if nobody watching the programmes was allowed to see them. Sky News also shielded the youngsters' faces in its coverage, while The Guardian newspaper simply ignored photographs of the older-looking migrants. Broadcasting insiders said it was a matter of editorial policy because the migrants were being treated as vulnerable children whose identities should be protected. But LBC radio host Nick Ferrari called the BBC 'bleeding-heart liberals'. He added: 'How is anyone meant to have an informed view, if the BBC choose to censor this image?' Advertisement

An age assessment will then be arranged with trained experts.

Councils are responsible for all costs associated with lone child asylum seekers up until the age of 25 and many are struggling to cope.

The number has risen 54 per cent in a year because of the spiralling migration crisis. At least 3,472 unaccompanied children were seeking asylum at the end of June.

Council chiefs expect hundreds more child refugees from Calais in the coming weeks, putting an additional strain on resources.

Mr Simmonds said determining a migrant's true age was 'educated guesswork' and could end up in costly legal battles.

'Councils regularly refuse to accept what people say is their age and it is likely, within any cohort where there are significant numbers, that doubts will be raised and councils will refuse to treat those people as children,' he said.

Mr Simmonds insisted it was important that British people knew that 'everyone who is coming in is being treated fairly'.

'In relation to those coming from France at the moment, the Home Office is responsible for making checks before they arrive,' he added.

'But age assessment is one of those things which quite commonly ends up in the courts, and councils like my own, Hillingdon in west London, which has a large population of asylum-seeking children, have lost or been embroiled in legal challenges and judicial reviews.

'We are normally relying on either verified documents – someone has a passport or birth certificate or something like that – or in the absence of that usually a series of interviews. So it is more or less educated guesswork. It is hugely unsatisfactory.'

Around 12 migrants - all men aged anywhere between 15 and 21 - were escorted off a coach

The group that arrived on Wednesday was greeted by raucous supporters

He added that councils have been worried about the issue of age assessments for years because 'we have frequently had to deal with situations where people claiming to be a child have seen it as a back door to route straight to immigration control'.

If you come in as a child, you become a child in care and are handed straight on to the local authority who are then responsible for supporting them financially until the age of 25,' he said.

Mr Simmonds said the warnings about adult asylum seekers pretending to be children had 'fallen on deaf ears' at the Home Office and the cost to taxpayers of disputes had risen as a result. Each judicial review of an age dispute costs councils about £50,000 in legal fees.

Council chiefs have also warned of the risks of sex attacks in schools if adults posing as migrant children are allowed to enter Britain. A House of Lords committee has been told that possible sexual exploitation of pupils in the classroom was a very real concern.

Local authorities are obliged to find school places for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who have been driven from their homes by war and famine.

Tory MP David Davies has been condemned by dentists after last night calling for tests on teeth to verify the age of child migrants. Pictured, child refugees arrive in Croydon today on the third day of arrivals from Calais

Two teenagers arrive at Lunar House in Croydon, south London, from the Calais Jungle camp today

But Paul Chadwick, head of looked-after children and resources at Croydon Borough Council in south London, said difficulties in accurately verifying the age of lone refugees meant adults could sneak into the UK pretending to be minors – and even receive places at school. That would potentially put younger pupils at risk of abuse.

Dr Chadwick told the House of Lords EU home affairs sub-committee in April: 'The difficulties for schools tend to be in age assessments. Schools are concerned about the possible sexual exploitation of pupils by adults who are claiming to be children and placed in school.

'That is a very real concern in the light of some of the incidents that have occurred in some foster placements nationally.'

In one instance, an Afghan refugee who claimed to be just 12 was exposed to be lying after he assaulted a man looking after him.

Following the attack, indecent images of children were allegedly found on his phone as well as records of visits to jihadi websites.

A dental examination revealed he had rotting wisdom teeth and was likely to be at least 21. He had arrived in Britain clandestinely via Calais and was sent to live in Wales.

When he told social services that he wished to move to Bristol and was informed that he would have to live with another foster family, he became angry and attacked his foster father.

Now migrants arriving in London hide their faces under BLANKETS 'after being rounded up in Calais by charity workers with megaphones asking for children who want to go to the UK'

Child migrants covered their faces with blankets as they arrived in Britain today as it emerged Jungle aid workers are rounding up children using megaphones.

The group arrived at Croydon immigration centre this morning as the row over some of their ages continued.

Charities helping child refugees into the UK from France have called the process run by the Home Office a 'shambles'.

Beth Gardiner-Smith – from charity Citizens UK, which oversees the safe passage of young migrants into Britain – told Newsnight: 'In the camp, you've had people with megaphones, walking around calling for children to come forward and register themselves on separate lists [of UK charities seeking to help them].'

New arrivals: Child migrants covered their faces with blankets as they arrived in Britain today

Around 200 unaccompanied children with family already in the UK will be brought across the Channel by the end of the week, according to French police.

Row: Some have claimed that the refugees, who are mainly young men, appear to look over the age of 18

WHY IS HOME OFFICE NOT DOING MEDICAL CHECKS? On background checks, the Home Office states: We work closely with the French Authorities to ensure that the cases applying to come to the UK qualify under Dublin. Initial interviews are conducted to gather information on identity, medical conditions and age among other criteria. On age we use a number of determining factors: - That the individual has provided credible and clear documentary evidence proving their claimed age; - That the individual has a physical appearance/demeanour which does not strongly suggest they are significantly over 18 years of age - That the individual has been subject to a Merton compliant age assessment by a local authority and been assessed to be 18 years of age or over, which must be signed off by two social workers. Advertisement

Aid workers in Calais have warned the most vulnerable children face being stranded there as some adults are lying about their age to try and gain entry to Britain.

And now questions are being raised about how the children are being identified by the charities working there themselves.

Migrants and charity workers in Calais' Jungle camp admitted today the 'majority' of young migrants are 'lying' about their age to get to Britain as children because it gives them a better chance to enter the UK.

The Home Office has refused to order dental checks on the new arrivals - insisting they were 'unethical' and 'intrusive' and unless the asylum seeker appears 'significantly' over 18, they should be 'afforded the benefit of the doubt and treated as children'.

Around 200 unaccompanied children with family already in the UK will be brought across the Channel by the end of the week, according to French police.

But as the transfers began volunteers working in the Jungle camp raised concerns that those most in need would be left behind because adults are taking their places.

Police chiefs in Calais said a coach load of 40 children are being transferred to Britain every day and officials planned to take similar numbers every day this week.

Police chiefs in Calais said a coach load of 40 children are being transferred to Britain every day

Help: A Home Office worker carries their belongings from a coach as they prepare to start their new life

However, an aid worker said the process for registering those with family members was 'chaotic'.

She said: 'It is a complete mess. Those at the front of the queue are not the most needy and vulnerable, they are the adults pretending to be children.'

Daniel Gadi, a nine-year-old boy from Eritrea, was yesterday among those still left at the camp.

His father Abaye said he wanted his son to be looked after by his late wife's sister in London, but had not been accepted as he is not an unaccompanied child.

Neha, a British volunteer working in a café for child migrants in the camp, said: 'I know there are vulnerable kids, kids with epilepsy, who are still here that have family in the UK they could be with right now.

'It's a shambles. Children are not being told what they are queuing up for, they are not being given information, there is complete confusion.'

Up to 1,200 unaccompanied children are stranded in the sprawling Jungle camp in the French Port town, which is due to be demolished this month.

Around half of them say they have family in the UK, giving the right to move to move here.

Under the system, the children have to apply for asylum in France with their claims transferred to Britain once they show they have family links already in the country.

One British volunteer said: 'It's a shambles. Children are not being told what they are queuing up for, they are not being given information, there is complete confusion.' Pictured: Migrants in the Calais jungle, which is due to be bulldozed later this month

Home Office staff have gone out to Calais to ensure a smooth transition. Pictured here is a UK official (centre, black coat) and a camp volunteer (hat and beige coat) assisting a group of migrant children aged 12-16 ahead of their departure

A team of Home Office officials has been dispatched to Calais to work with the French authorities to screen applicants before they are granted entry.

Part of the vetting process will include attempting to determine their ages, but the government has refused to give details of how they plan to do this.

As groups of children transferred from Calais yesterday started to arrive in Britain, concerns were raised about their ages.