More than 1,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel over six consecutive days during the recent hot weather, according to Home Office figures. Between Friday and Tuesday, 1,128 people made the journey, with 139 arriving in two boats on Tuesday alone. This brings the total number of arrivals for the year so far to 8,704, a decrease of 36% compared to the same period last year and a 17% drop from 2024.
The crossings coincided with record-breaking temperatures, as the Met Office reported the hottest May day on record for both England and Wales on Tuesday. Kew Gardens provisionally reached 35.1°C, while Cardiff Bute Park hit 32.9°C. Photos from Dover, Kent, show migrants disembarking from a Border Security Command boat wearing life vests and blankets.
Meanwhile, several migrants have faced legal action. Turkish national Osman Yesil, 47, and Algerian Tawfiq Boubazine, 33, pleaded guilty to endangering lives during a sea crossing and were each sentenced to eight months in prison. Albanian Elidjon Cota, 29, received the same sentence after pleading guilty on Tuesday. Sudanese nationals Jiechlat Buom, 25, and Kueth Gatkuoth, 31, and Iranian Mehdi Najafi, 42, have been charged with similar offences and will appear in court later this month.
Sarah Dineley, the CPS lead on immigration crime, stated: “Many of these cases were charged within hours over this bank holiday weekend which meant defendants were brought before a court within days of arriving in the UK. The CPS continues to work with international partners to disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups, who are ultimately responsible for small-boat crossings.”
