32 caught trying to cross Channel in just over a day

BRITAIN’S Border Force caught 32 migrants trying to cross the Channel in tiny boats in a little over 24 hours.

In three incidents, officials intercepted flimsy dinghies carrying families, including young children, as they made the dangerous crossing from France to the Kent coast.

The development will pile fresh pressure on Home Secretary Sajid Javid as he tries to get a grip of the growing problem. The number caught risking their lives crossing the world’s busiest shipping lane after paying thousands to peoplesmuggling gangs has soared past 150 since the start of the year.

The first group – 14 migrants including two youngsters – were found close to Folkestone at 1am on Wednesday. Most said they were Iraqi, while two men said they were from Iran. At 4am yesterday, another small boat carrying five men was intercepted near the port.

A further boat with 13 adults and children on board was stopped about an hour later.

The incidents will raise concerns that the Home Office’s decision to deploy cutters in the Channel is encouraging migrants to make the journey because they believe they may be rescued and brought to the UK.

Most of the migrants, who are expected to claim they are fleeing war, persecution and humanitarian disaster, will be processed at an immigration centre in Kent.

The latest crossings came as the Home Office launched a poster campaign urging coastal residents to watch out for signs of peoplesmuggling. Mr Javid promised a crackdown after revealing 543 migrants had attempted the journey across the Channel last year.

■ An oil tanker hijacked by migrants in the Mediterranean was seized by special forces yesterday.

The migrants had been rescued by the ship – but after learning they were being taken back to Libya, they ordered the captain to head for Europe instead. The captain managed to call the authorities, however, and a team of elite troops from Malta were deployed as the ship headed towards the Italian island of Lampedusa.