Friday 24 June 2022 03:15 PM Migrants including children holding teddy bears arrive in Dover as crossings ... trends now
Dozens more migrants including small children clutching teddy bears have arrived in Dover, Kent, as the total number of asylum-seekers crossing the English Channel this year edges close to 12,000.
The young children were seen holding toys as they were carried and escorted from small boats after being intercepted by Border Force vessel Defender shortly after 10.30am.
One man could be seen carrying a smiling toddler as he disembarked the boat.
The small boy - wrapped in a blue blanket and wearing a grey beanie hat reading 'I love Papa' - held a pink soft toy in his hand.
Groups of male migrants were escorted by Ministry of Defence officials along with a string of other refugees who also made the dangerous journey from France.
The pair were accompanied by a slightly older toddler who was also clutching a stuffed animal and wearing the same hat.
One child was seen holding a stuffed toy as they arrived on the shores of Dover, Kent, after travelling across the English Channel
Two children holding toys, who appeared to be sleeping, were carried to safety when their small boat arrived at Dover, Kent, today
They were led along the gangway by soldiers dressed in camouflage fatigues and high-vis jackets - closely followed by a third boy of primary-school age.
One man, carrying a child's rucksack, led a toddler in a yellow jacket along the gangway.
As more migrants waited to be escorted off the boat, one Border Force official could be seen carrying a small girl dressed in pink and holding a white teddy bear, while another cradled a toddler who was clutching a purple octopus toy.
Another young child, who appeared to be sleeping, was carried to safety by a soldier.
After the women and children had been helped down from the boat, a number of young men were led along the walkway.
One migrant carried his belongings in a bin bag.
Their life jackets were removed and their belongings were loaded onto a waiting coach by Border Force staff - ready to transport them to be processed by UK officials.
One migrant, wearing a black Nike jacket, lifted his hand to the sky in a victory gesture as he got ready to disembark the boat, while another raised two fingers towards onlookers in a reverse victory sign.
Another man put his hands together in the shape of a heart as the boat approached British soil, which prompted a fourth migrant to mimic a dove with his hands which represents peace.
Among the group of at least 50 people were a small number of women and children.
Migrants - young and old - lined up on the gangway after disembarking their small boats following the perilous journey across the English Channel
