Channel crossings: Three boats with 77 migrants on board cross Channel

At least one boat with migrants on board landed on Dungeness beach

Three small boats with 77 people on board reached the UK after crossing the English Channel on Thursday, the Home Office said.

At least one boat landed on the beach at Dungeness, Kent, but the Home Office has not divulged further details.

French authorities stopped about 79 people from attempting the crossing, a Home Office spokesman said.

About 1,123 people have now made the crossing so far this year, compared to 434 in the same period in 2020.

More than 8,438 people crossed the English Channel in about 635 boats in 2020.

The government is planning to make it more difficult for asylum seekers to stay in the UK if they come illegally.

Under the plans, people who enter the UK illegally to claim asylum will no longer have the same entitlements as those who arrive legally.

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