More migrants cross English Channel in small boats

A packed RNLI boat brought migrants ashore on Monday

More migrants have been arriving on UK shores - the day after about 740 people crossed the English Channel in small boats.

There has been a steady stream of crossings since the weather conditions became more favourable.

On Monday 785 people arrived in 27 boats while French authorities stopped 378 people from making the crossing, the Home Office has confirmed.

Dozens of migrants were seen arriving in Kent on Tuesday by BBC journalists.

Correspondent Jon Donnison witnessed between 30 and 40 people arriving at Dover.

He said: "The first Border Force boat of the day has just arrived in Port of Dover. It looks to be carrying maybe 30 or 40 migrants who have been picked up."

The BBC's Simon Jones said another 31 people had been brought ashore at Kingsdown by the RNLI.

On Sunday, 158 people were picked up in four boats, four days after another seven people were "intercepted".

The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, is due to meet her French counterpart on Wednesday at a G7 meeting of Interior Ministers to discuss migrant crossings.

A long line of people made their way along the beach at Dungeness

Speaking in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "Our friends across the Channel in France are faced with a very difficult problem."

Mr Johnson said: "A large number of people want to come to this country, and we are doing everything we can to encourage the French to do the necessary and impede their passage.

"But I know the Home Secretary is working right around the clock to ensure that we not only encourage the French to stiffen their sinews and stop people making the journey, but we use every possible tactic available to us as well."

At the scene

Simon Jones, BBC News

At times it seemed the Border Force was pretty much overwhelmed.

One person who works at the Port of Dover, and was involved in the processing of arrivals, told me it was "disorganised chaos" as there were so many people arriving on the Kent coast.

Because of the bad weather recently, hundreds of people have been over in Calais, waiting for their chance to get across, helped by the people smugglers.

More than 12,600 migrants have made the crossing on more than 500 boats so far this year. Just over 8,400 arrived in 2020.

Dan O'Mahoney, Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, said: "This unacceptable rise in dangerous crossings is being driven by criminal gangs and a surge in illegal migration across Europe.

"We're determined to target the criminals at every level."

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