Spain has asked the European Union for more help to deal with a renewed wave of illegal immigrants travelling by sea from West Africa

BBC News:

More than 1,500 illegal immigrants have arrived on the Canary Islands in the past week.

Spain has stepped up air and sea patrols and is consulting with African countries in a bid to curb the influx.

Many migrants who risk the trip to the Canary Islands see them as a stepping- stone to a better life in Europe.

Jean-Philippe Chauzy, of the International Organisation for Migration, said countries like Spain were attractive to immigrants because it was easy to get a job there without going through official channels.

"The main pull factor again is the existence of jobs in the economies of the host countries," he told the BBC's Today programme.

"Those jobs are, most of the time, in the informal sector, so... we would suggest that if countries are serious about tackling irregular migration, one of the suggestions would be basically to tackle the issue of irregular employment in the country of destination."

Most of the immigrants who make the treacherous journey, packed onto open fishing boats, are from Central and Sub-Saharan Africa. Many pay people smugglers in Mauritania to take them the 900km (558 miles) between Africa and the Canaries - some do not survive the trip which can take more than 10 days.

Austin Taylor-Wainwright, who runs a quayside field hospital in Tenerife port, says groups of 80, 90 or more arrive at a time, hungry, thirsty and sometimes injured.

"We've had children as young as eight months. Two days ago there was a 13-year-old boy who came over with no family members, and he was absolutely scared stiff," he said.

The BBC's Katya Adler on Tenerife says the Spanish government wants to repatriate most of the newly arrived immigrants but it has asked the EU for help to stop more from coming.

Illegal immigration is a European not just a Spanish problem, Madrid says, so needs a co-ordinated response.

Reception centres are bursting at the seams on Tenerife. Miguel Becerra, spokesman for the Canary Islands' regional government, says they are struggling to cope. "We're a small tourist island. We can't deal with all this," he said.

"The government in Madrid is taking measures but it needs to do more. It's in their interest and Europe's. These immigrants aren't only going to stay on the streets of the Canary Islands, they're going to go on to Madrid, London and Paris."

The European Parliament is sending a delegation to the Canary Islands early in June to examine the conditions in which the immigrants are being kept and the problems caused by illegal immigration.

Spain will urge Africa to stem immigrant tide