Hundreds of migrants braved freezing temperatures to cross English Channel in ... trends now
Almost 450 migrants risked their lives in sub-zero conditions to illegally cross the English Channel over the weekend - in the biggest surge of asylum seekers this year.
People smugglers took advantage of the calm conditions on Saturday evening to sail a mass of asylum seekers from France - as temperatures in the south of England plunged to -5C.
A total of 10 boats were intercepted by UK Border Force cutters early on Sunday morning as the dinghies attempted to sail the treacherous 21-mile crossing of the Dover Straits.
Among those rescued included a small baby, with the Ministry of Defence confirming on Monday afternoon that 442 migrants had made the crossing on Sunday, bringing the total illegal arrivals to the UK this year to 486 people.
Dozens of migrants are pictured getting off a UK Border Force boat in Dover on Sunday having made the perilous 21-mile trip across the English Channel
It's believed migrants set sail from Gravelines, near Dunkirk, France. They were all brought into the harbour at Dover, Kent on Border Force vessels through Sunday.
The French coastguard confirmed they also prevented a further 53 asylum seekers from reaching the UK the same day.
French rescue ship Abeille Normandie was tasked with assisting a boat in difficulty off the coast on Sunday, recovering the 53 stranded migrants and dropping them off at the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Once docked at the French Port, they were taken care of by the departmental fire and rescue service, the maritime medical coordination, and the border police.
Meanwhile, French naval vessels are understood to have shadowed the other dinghies are they headed towards British territory, with the military having a policy of not intervening to intercept the inflatables once they get into the water.
The crossings are the second this week despite biting temperatures, with 106 people making the dangerous voyage on January 17. While 44 migrants illegally completed the perilous crossing on January 2.
Those rescued by the authorities included men, women and children - with a small baby believed to be among the people to have been escorted into Dover on Sunday
Last year was the biggest year on record after 45,728 people arrived in 1,104 boats. - dwarfing 2021's total of 28,526.
August saw 8,641 people arrive in
