Val Gibbons, of Seymour Drive, Dartmouth, writes:

Many British people who have lived abroad, and married there, are at present required to fight for the right to bring their foreign spouses to live here with them, however pressing the reason to move back.

The Government’s misguided objective to reduce net immigration has made movement from non-EU countries extremely ­difficult.

It is ironic, therefore, that according to last week’s Chronicle three Lithuanian men – two of whom have already served jail sentences in Germany for ­burglary – were able to move unfettered to the UK with no obstacles or checks.

They wished to find employment in the building trade, they claimed. Old habits died hard, though, and their ensuing crime spree across the country was eventually curtailed by efficient detective work and by the men’s careless errors. Future thieves will learn from those well-published errors.

We will all empathise with the victims, whose lives will never be the same again.

Meanwhile, the burglars are to be imprisoned for a total of 21 years – possibly half that – at British taxpayers’ expense until, upon their release, the men will have the right to remain in our country into retirement age,

or move to yet another EU country.

Pensions? Benefits? Of course we’ll support them financially – it’s our duty.

An obvious alternative to this scenario is to detach ourselves from EU membership and return to independence and self-government. Our own MPs we can replace, while unelected EU commissioners are there for good.

There is a good reason why people no longer leave their front doors unlocked. It would be folly, and possibly dangerous, and insurance companies make that crystal clear in their terms and conditions.

We sensibly check on callers, inviting them in only once we are satisfied.

Why, then, is it deemed safe to welcome all and sundry into the UK without first screening them at the borders?

It is plain common sense that we cannot afford to be complacent and that we must return to the old, tried-and-tested border control. Let’s learn from our mistakes.