Migrant boats take their chance on sunny bank holiday

THIRTY-SIX suspected migrants have been intercepted by Border Force off Dover – the largest number this year, as authorities said warm weather and the bank holiday could have been behind the spike in traffic.

In the past month, nearly a dozen boats reached UK waters, carrying a total of 92 people. Most have presented themselves as Iranian and Iraqi, and while the majority are men, a handful of women and young children have also been rescued.

Yesterday, three small boats were intercepted within a few hours.

In the first incident, a Border Force cutter was scrambled to meet a small boat with 11 men on board, who said they were Iranian and Iraqi.

They were taken on to the Border Force vessel and transferred to immigration officials for interview after undergoing a medical assessment. In the second incident, another small boat was found with 15 people on board – made up of men, women and children, who said they were Iraqi.

They were taken to Dungeness by the RNLI before being handed over to immigration officials.

A short while later, Border Force intercepted a third boat with nine men and one woman on board, who said they were Iranian. They were also taken to Dover.

Authorities in France, who intercepted 21 people attempting to cross the Channel earlier this month, said the weather and a lull in maritime traffic may have influenced the smugglers’ decision to send boats out.

Ingrid Parrot, from the French Naval headquarters for the Channel and North Sea, said: “Of course, the weather is a big factor in when people choose to go, and it has been very good this weekend. But it is not the only factor.

“It is sometimes thought that because it is a public holiday, there are fewer people working so it will be easier to cross.

“This is not true. We still have gendarmes patrolling, one boat out at sea and helicopters on standby.”