And still they come: Up to 90 more migrants are caught trying to get to UK after Priti Patel told France to crack down on cross-Channel route
- The migrants were brought into harbour at the Port of Dover in Kent this morning
- Up to 90 migrants were caught, though the number has not yet been confirmed
- Comes after Priti Patel travelled to France to demand a crack down on crossings
Dozens of migrants have been rescued trying to cross the English Channel today – just days after Home Secretary Priti Patel travelled to France to crack down on the route.
As many as 90 people are thought to have been detained, though this has not yet been confirmed by Home Office officials.
An RNLI lifeboat is believed to have rescued people on one boat while the Border Force vessel Speedwell dealt with others in a number of small boat incidents.
They were pictured being brought into the harbour at the Port of Dover in Kent this morning.
As many as 90 migrants were detained today, though the Home Office has yet to confirm the numbers
An RNLI lifeboat is believed to have rescued people on one boat while the Border Force vessel Speedwell dealt with others in a number of small boat incidents
The lifeboat and another Border Force boat were seen bringing in the dinghies used in the crossings.
On Sunday, a record 180 migrants tried to cross the English Channel in small dinghies in 15 separate incidents.
On the same day, a further 200 people were prevented from making the treacherous 20 mile crossing by French authorities.
Home Secretary Priti Patel travelled to France on Sunday to strike a deal with its government to crack down on the ‘unacceptable’ crossings.
She said: ‘I have been in France today seeing first-hand the significant work undertaken on that side of the Channel to address the unacceptably high levels of small boats, alongside the efforts of Border Force and the National Crime Agency in the UK.
‘But despite all of the action taken by law enforcement to date – intercepting the boats, making arrests, returning people to France and putting the criminals responsible behind bars – the numbers continue to increase.
‘This simply cannot be allowed to go on.
The migrants were pictured being brought into the harbour at the Port of Dover in Kent this morning
Home Secretary Priti Patel travelled to France on Sunday to strike a deal with its government to crack down on the ‘unacceptable’ crossings
So far this year a total of 2,658 people have made the illegal Channel crossing this year with today’s figures yet to be made official
‘Today, I have signed an agreement with the French to create a joint intelligence cell which will crack down on the gangs behind this vile people smuggling operation and impressed on my French counterpart the need to stop these illegal crossings for the benefit of both our countries. This is the start of a new operational approach with the newly appointed French Interior Minister.’
But on Monday, 39 migrants were reportedly detained by Border Force officers in the Channel in four boats.
On Tuesday, the French coastguard said they had to rescue 11 men just over a mile off the Calais coast
They were alerted by the P&O cross-channel passenger ferry Spirit of France that the inflatable boat had got into difficulty in treacherous conditions at around 12pm.
The previous record for a single day was broken on June 3 this year when 166 migrants were detained in eight boats.
Last month, 702 refugees reached the UK on small boats – after 741 landed in May.
So far this year a total of 2,658 people have made the illegal Channel crossing this year with today’s figures yet to be made official.
There were migrant crossings on 16 days of last month – including eight days in a row from June 14.