Manston migrant processing centre 'ready for arrivals'

Almost six times the number of migrants crossed in January compared to the same period last year

A former military base is Kent is now ready to open as a processing centre for the growing number of migrants reaching the UK in small boats.

The site at Manston could be used to house hundreds of people, with more being taken there for initial checks.

In January 1,341 people crossed the Channel in small boats, compared to 224 in January 2021.

The former military site at Manston will be used to accommodate new arrivals for up to five days.

The Home Office said the facility at Tug Haven, beside the jetty of Dover Western Docks, would no longer be used as the tenancy had come to an end on 31 January.

In October, a government watchdog said the tents and portable buildings at Tug Haven were "unsuitable".

The Independent Monitoring Board said child welfare had been put at risk and said some migrants were held on a double-decker bus.

In December the Home Office confirmed that part of the former Ministry of Defence site at Manston would be used as a processing site for migrants "to provide a safe and secure environment whilst the government carries out necessary checks".

The processing centre at Manston is ready for new arrivals, the Home Office said

Migrants who arrive at Dover will go through initial checks at Dover port, then on to the site at Manston for further processing,

A Home Office spokesman said: "The former Ministry of Defence site at Manston is ready to support onward processing of those arriving.

"We will continue to bring individuals rescued from the Channel into the most appropriate port, including Dover."

The Home Office has declined to say how many people will be taken to the centre, but under a Freedom of Information request, the BBC has discovered that in December there were contingency plans to feed 300 people at the Manston facility.

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