Channel migrants who reached the Kent coast undetected may have made a decoy emergency call to distract coastguards, it is claimed. Fishermen, who were at sea at the time, reportedly said migrants on the small boat called 999 and claimed the dinghy was sinking, without providing a location.
It is believed this could have led to Border Force boats being sent to the middle of the Channel, where most issues unfold. Meanwhile, the migrant boat continued undetected before landing on a beach near Dover.
Migrants detained and missing
Twenty-one migrants were detained by authorities after reaching Samphire Hoe, but up to 10 on board the boat are believed to be missing without having been processed. The incident on Tuesday afternoon, as well as another undetected crossing on Monday, are being urgently reviewed.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the failure to intercept the boats was “not acceptable”. According to The Telegraph, it is understood emergency services received a 999 call from people on board a migrant boat claiming they were sinking.
Emergency call details
At about 09:40am, French authorities issued an alert for vessels to assist, but didn’t provide a position after the caller didn't offer one. Around two-and-a-half hours later, the Dover coastguard said the emergency was over with “all persons confirmed ashore, safe and well” and no further assistance was needed, according to reports.
A fisherman who heard the radio reports described it as “suspicious”. They told The Telegraph: “When you see the boat when it came in, it looked in good condition. It didn’t look like it had drowning migrants in it. It’s all suspicious. It sounds like it could have been a decoy.”
Review and alternative explanations
Others suggested a mistake was a more likely explanation for what unfolded. “I think it is more likely a cock-up,” a political source said. “You can overestimate the sophistication of a crossing when in most cases it is chaotic and fraught with danger.” The Home Office declined to comment as its review continues.
Before this week, no small boats had officially been recorded as reaching Britain unaccompanied in over a year. The thousands of migrants crossing the Channel are usually brought to shore by Border Security Command or RNLI boats.
On Thursday, the Border Force union said migrant boats are "definitely" arriving on British shores undetected. ISU spokeswoman Lucy Moreton said: “If no-one sees them, no-one sees them. But we know that we’ve had abandoned vessels, we’ve had reports of uncontrolled landings all the way down to Falmouth.”
People smugglers are believed to be increasingly adopting new tactics for the crossings. This includes using so-called mega dinghies and boats departing from more westerly beaches along France’s north coast.
Some 781 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats on Wednesday — the highest number on a single day so far this year. Provisional Home Office figures show 18,565 migrants have made the journey in 2026 — down 42% on the equivalent point last year.
