Record 1000 illegal migrants cross English Channel yesterday

Around 1,000 people crossed the English Channel by boat to reach the UK on Thursday, a new record for migrant Channel crossings in a single day due to the better than usual weather.

RNLI Boats and Border Force rescued many boats in the water and then escorted them into Dover.

Three people are thought to be lost at sea as two kayaks were found adrift near Calais, French authorities said.

A Whitehall source accused France of losing control of the situation.

The Home Office said British people did not want to see people die in the Channel as ruthless gangs profit.

More than 23,000 people have made the crossing from France to the UK by boat so far this year, a significant rise on the 8,404 in 2020 – and far more than in years before the pandemic, when most arrived by plane, ferry or train.

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