UK

Children among group of migrants found in Channel

In the week up to Saturday, 342 people crossed to the UK in seven small boats, Home Office figures show.

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover on a Border Force vessel
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover on a Border Force vessel (Gareth Fuller/PA)
By Helen Corbett, PA Political Correspondent

Small boat crossings continued on Saturday as the UK Border Force brought a group of suspected migrants from the English Channel into Dover.

Children were among the group of about 50 people who were led ashore from the first boat that docked.

Other Border Force vessels remained in the Channel.

A Border Force boat passes a cruise liner docked at Dover
A Border Force boat passes a cruise liner docked at Dover (Gareth Fuller/PA)

The number of attempted crossings tends to rise when weather conditions are favourable.

In the week up to Saturday, 342 people crossed in seven boats, Home Office figures show.

Numbers were higher in the seven days from July 15 to 21, with 1,499 people recorded making the journey in 27 boats.

The Labour Government has vowed to tackle small boat arrivals by targeting the people-smuggling gangs behind the crossings.

It has said a Border Command Unit will be established, in co-operation with European partners.

Speaking on July 18, Prime Minister Keir Starmer reacted to the deaths of five people in two incidents in the Channel, saying it was “a chilling reminder of the human cost of this vile trade”.