Wednesday 17 August 2022 03:13 PM More than 4,000 migrants have crossed the Channel already in August to make it ... trends now
More than 4,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel by small boat in August, making it the busiest month so far this year.
According to official government data, 4,159 people have made the treacherous journey across the 21-mile Dover Straits in 96 dinghies or other small craft.
This brings the total number of migrant arrivals for 2022 to 20,558 so far.
The record month for Channel crossings came in November last year when 6,869 people crossed into British waters in 201 vessels.
And November 11 saw the record day with 1,185 migrants arriving in Dover, Kent in just 24 hours.
According to official government data, 4,159 people have made the treacherous journey across the 21-mile Dover Straits in 96 dinghies or other small craft. Pictured: Group of migrants disembark from UK Border Force boat in Dover
Members of Border Force escort migrants back to Dover Docks after they were picked up in the English Channel just off the coast of Dungeness
But the number of migrants reaching the UK by small boat this year is predicted to surpass 2021’s total of 28,526.
At this point last year, just 11,599 migrants had made the perilous journey - almost half the number who have arrived so far in 2022.
Migrants have been taking advantage of calm conditions at sea over the past few days - with 180 people arriving in Dover in four boats on Tuesday.
The French coastguard also prevented dozens of people from crossing the Channel on Tuesday evening.
The Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Centre (CROSS) in Griz-Nez identified a boat in difficulty off the coast of Leffrinckoucke.
It tasked the rescue boat Jean Bart II with picking up 50 stranded migrants.
They were then dropped off at the port of Dunkirk where they were taken care of by the departmental fire and rescue service.
The graph shows how number of migrants this year (in blue) is higher than in previous years
The number of migrants reaching the UK by small boat this year is predicted to surpass 2021’s total of 28,526
A Government spokesperson said: “The rise in dangerous Channel crossings is unacceptable.
“Not only are they an overt abuse of our immigration laws, but they risk lives and hinder our ability to help refugees who come to the UK through safe and legal routes.
“The Nationality and Borders Act will enable us to crack down on abuse of the system and the evil people smugglers, who will now be subject to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
“Under our new Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda, we are continuing preparations to relocate those who are making dangerous, unnecessary and illegal journeys into the UK in order for their claims to be considered and rebuild their lives.”
Navy WILL still do Channel migrant patrols: Liz Truss vows that military will not pull out of tackling dinghy crossings if she becomes Tory leader
By David Barrett for The Daily Mail and Michael Blackley for The Scottish Daily Mail
Liz Truss said yesterday that the Royal Navy will
