More than 300 migrants cross Channel in one day

More than 2,500 migrants have crossed the English Channel since 1 January

The Home Office said 327 migrants arrived in Dover on Sunday.

They were the first arrivals in March and the second highest daily total of the year.

It means 2,582 people have made the crossing so far in 2024, official figures show, with the largest number, 358, arriving on 17 January.

On Sunday, a seven-year-old girl drowned off the French coast when the small boat she was in capsized near Dunkirk.

A child who drowned at the weekend was on a boat that capsized near Dunkirk

The government said its priority was to stop the boats by cracking down on people-smuggling gangs.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We have taken robust action to... deter migrants from making dangerous crossings and, alongside our French counterparts, intercept vessels.

"This relentless action reduced crossings by 36% last year, despite numbers soaring by 80% in the Mediterranean, and more than 26,000 attempts were prevented."

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