September is set to be the new record month for migrant crossings, with 3,413 making the journey so far, Home Office data has revealed.
The record is currently 3,509, set in July, but observers in Dover believe that number might have been surpassed today.
Around 80 have arrived so far today in Dover Marina, Kent with a Border Force catamaran Hurricane docking around 9.30am with about 50 people on board.
The first family to disembark consisted of a woman carrying possessions in a clear plastic bag, a man wearing a woolly hat and three young boys wrapped up in winter coats.
They were followed up the gangway for processing by a little girl aged around seven with two women and a man all wearing orange lifejackets.
Around 80 have arrived so far today in Dover Marina, Kent with a Border Force catamaran Hurricane docking this morning at around 9.30am with 50 people on board
A little girl aged around seven with two women and a man all wearing orange lifejackets was brought ashore this morning
Arrivals today could also take the record-breaking total for the year to more than 16,000. The tally currently stands at 15,840
Onlookers monitoring activity in the Channel off the Kent coast predict it will be a busy day of crossings with people smugglers taking advantage of warm weather and calm seas
A further five women were also on board alongside the remaining Middle Eastern men.
The RNLI Dover Lifeboat docked around 11am with around 30 migrants on board - including a man with his long hair tied in a bun wearing a bright blue jacket, sunglasses and a shoulder bag.
A little boy wearing a stripy beanie hat was followed by his mum, who was one of around a dozen women in the group.
Onlookers monitoring activity in the Channel off the Kent coast predict it will be a busy day of crossings with people smugglers taking advantage of warm weather and calm seas.
It comes after UK authorities had to rescue or intercept 134 migrants in 5 boats on Tuesday.
The French intercepted at least 60 people from 3 events, according to the Home Office.
Arrivals today could also take the record-breaking total for the year to more than 16,000.
The tally currently stands at 15,840.
Dan O'Mahoney, Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, said on Wednesday night: 'The Government is determined to tackle the unacceptable rise in dangerous Channel crossings using every tool at our disposal, at every stage in the journey.
'Working with police and international partners there have been nearly 300 arrests, 65 convictions related to small boat criminality and our targeted efforts have prevented more than 12,000 migrant attempts.
'But this is a complicated issue requiring changes to our laws. The government's New Plan for Immigration provides the only long term solution to fix the broken system and deliver the change required to tackle criminal gangs and prevent further loss of life.'
