Border Force and a lifeboat intercepted a small boat packed with migrants before it reached the shore, after it reportedly left France undetected. The vessel was said to be two miles off the coast of Kent when it was picked up.
Weekend crossings reportedly reach 950
The interception occurred during a weekend that reportedly saw 950 migrants arrive in Dover, according to GB News. If confirmed, the figures would push the total number of migrants arriving in the UK since Andy Burnham entered No.10 up to 2,500.
It is understood that calmer weather conditions in the English Channel provided an opportunity to launch boats from the continent after a five-day hiatus.
Drop in arrivals this year
Small boat arrivals have been dropping this year, with around 14,000 people crossing the Channel between January and July. This is 43% fewer than last year.
Mihnea Cuibus, a Senior Researcher at The Migration Observatory at Oxford University, said about 30,000 people arrived in small boats in the year ending July 31. Mr Cuibus said government policies may have helped bring about the drop, including limits on family reunion. He said unauthorised arrivals into the European Union have fallen since 2025, which "may ultimately lead to fewer crossings to the UK".
Recent mega-dinghy incident
Last week a "mega-dinghy" capsized in the Channel after its engine caught fire. Authorities in France said 173 people were rescued by French vessels, helped by two British Border Security Command boats and an RNLI lifeboat. They were taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer.
It was the largest single vessel to attempt to cross the Channel carrying migrants. The dinghy, which left the beach at Veules-les-Roses, near Dieppe, caught fire in the French search and rescue region on Tuesday, August 4, according to the UK's Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
A total of 63 migrants were taken to France on the British vessels. There were no reported fatalities. The total number on the boat broke the previous record of 165 who reached the UK late last month in a 13-metre (42ft) boat. The previous record, in the same month, was 128 people.
