ATTEMPTS to reassure the public over fears that Ebola could spread over here were hampered yesterday following warnings that border staff were not prepared to deal with people with the disease coming to Britain.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said it was “most unlikely” it could spread here but warned the outbreak was a “very serious threat.” Health experts have met to discuss the possibility of people contracting the virus in west Africa before becoming sick here.

Public Health England has warned health officials to be on the lookout for any unexplained illness in people returning from the affected countries.

But Immigration Service Union general secretary Lucy Moreton said its members were very concerned and not confident over what to do if they suspected someone of being sick.

She told BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight programme: “They serve on the front line, they are the first point of contact usually for people coming off an aircraft and the concern is what do they do if they’re confronted with someone who doesn’t appear well who appears at the border.

“There is no health facility at the border, there is no containment facility and until extremely recently there has been no guidance issued to staff at all as to what they should do.”

She said members had been contacting the union for guidance on what to do and how to protect themselves, but that it had no answers for them.

One Gatwick worker, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Star: “There is no longer a permanent port health presence at Gatwick, Britain’s second busiest airport. This was withdrawn over a year ago. 

“Any concerns regarding the health of incoming passengers are referred to the Department of Health or the local authority, a medical professional will be called to the airport to make an assessment.”

Fears are rising after an epidemic of the deadly virus swept west Africa, killing more than 670 people.

The government’s emergencies committee Cobra met to discuss the situation on Wednesday, after which Mr Hammond said the “logical” approach was to tackle the disease at source in west Africa.