THE number of unaccompanied children applying for asylum in Britain is at its highest level for almost seven years, according to new figures.

Almost 1,000 lone under-18s lodged claims in the three months leading to September last year - a rate of around 10 every day.

The shocking data shows 947 applications received from unaccompanied children in the period, which is the highest quarterly total since the first three months of 2009.

It also shows the number almost doubled in just three months last year as the international migration crisis escalated, with a staggering 518 claims lodged between April and June.

Most children seeking asylum were male, while there were also sharp jumps in the youngest age category. Some 76 of the claims were made by those aged under 14 - compared to 36 in the previous quarter.

An unaccompanied asylum-seeking child (UASC) is officially defined as someone who is under 18 who applies for asylum in his or her own right and who has no relative or guardian in the UK.

In the year to September there were a total of 2,564 applications, a shocking increase of 50 per cent on the previous year.

The rising numbers of lone children applying for asylum has prompted warnings about the strain placed on some local authorities.

Under the Children Act 1989, it is a council's legal responsibility to care for under-18s who arrive in their local authority area from abroad, seeking international protection.

Town halls are responsible for costs including schooling, foster care, university fees and housing, with estimates suggesting the support amounts to £50,000 every year per child.

Last month, officials warned that services for child asylum seekers are at "breaking point" in one of Britain's main gateways, condemning the situation as unsustainable.

A total of 980 UASC were in Kent County Council's care - up from nearly 630 at the start of August.

Most are 16 and 17-year-old boys who have been smuggled across the English Channel, placing pressure on local authority services in Kent as well as on the police and local NHS, a report said.
Child asylum seekers entering Britain at seven high, according to new figures | UK | News | Daily Express