Channel migrants: Nine boats intercepted in Channel

A group of migrants landed on a beach in Dungeness, police said

Nine boats carrying 96 migrants across the Channel have been intercepted by the Border Force.

The Home Office said they were alerted to vessels travelling from France to the UK at about 04:00 BST on Friday.

One boat landed on a beach near to the nuclear power plant in Dungeness, Kent, police said.

Since 1 January 2020, there have been 3,583 migrants who have reached the UK. A record 202 people in 20 vessels reached the UK on Thursday.

Two Border Force vessels were deployed on Friday, alongside an RNLI lifeboat and coastguard rescue teams.

The occupants of the boats presented themselves as Iranian, Syrian, Iraqi, Eritrean, Kuwaiti, Afghani, and Sudanese.