A record 86 migrants sail across Channel in a single day

A RECORD 86 migrants crossed the Channel and reached the UK in six separate boats yesterday – the most to have crossed in a single day.

Late last night the Home Office confirmed that men women and children from at least eight different countries had made the perilous journey and were being interviewed by immigration officials.

Two groups of migrants, made up of Iranians, Iraqis and Turks made it to beaches in East Sussex without being intercepted at sea. They were eventually detained on land. Border Force and Coastguard dealt with incidents near Dover, Littlestone, Pett Level and Dungeness bringing ashore migrants claiming to be Afghan, Pakistani, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Ethiopian.

Figures compiled by The Daily Telegraph show that so far this year, 1,256 people have arrived in the UK, having crossed the busy waterway illegally.

This month, the number has already reached 110 and so far this year, only 70 people have been returned to Europe.

In comparison, 297 people were caught attempting to enter Britain through the Channel in 2018.

Last month, Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, and her French counterpart Christophe Castaner pledged to “intensify joint action to tackle small boat crossings in the Channel” by “drawing up an enhanced action plan to deploy more resources along the French coast to intercept and stop crossings.” Ms Patel said: “I will not let ruthless gangs of criminal people smugglers continue to put lives in danger, which is why I’m doing everything in my power to put a stop to these illegal crossings.”