Nine migrant boats arrive in one day
Border Force picks up more than 74 people as warm weather prompts surge in Channel crossings
A TOTAL of 74 migrants including men, women and children arrived on the south coast yesterday in the biggest single number of crossings this year, prompting fresh criticism of the Home Office for failing to tackle the crisis.
Border Force officers intercepted nine boats as they landed on a 40-mile stretch of coast between Dover, in Kent, and Winchelsea Beach, in East Sussex, on the warmest day of the year.
The Home Office said the migrants, whose nationalities are yet to be determined, have undergone medical examinations. A criminal investigation is under way.
HM Coastguard said it had dealt with “nine incidents” off the Kent coast.
The migrants, who were mainly men, are understood to have made the crossing from France overnight.
Photographs showed the men, some wrapped in blankets, being interviewed by Border Force officials on Winchelsea Beach yesterday morning, after landing in small dinghies.
Charlie Elphicke, the Conservative MP for Dover and Deal, criticised the response of the authorities to the recent increase in migrant crossings, stating: “This crisis was meant to have been dealt with at Christmas, yet numbers continue to rise. It looks set to surge to record levels through the summer. The Home Office needs to get a grip on this crisis.”
In December, Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, declared a major incident in the Channel following a spike in migrants attempting to enter Britain.
Mr Elphicke added: “This is about much more than simply border security. It is about the exploitation of vulnerable people by criminal trafficking gangs – gangs that Britain and France must work together to catch and bring to justice. These journeys are also incredibly dangerous. Overcrowded boats with men, women and children aboard. The risk of a tragedy in the middle of the English Channel resulting in loss of life is very real.”
A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: “We have been assisting Border Force with incidents off the Kent coast this morning.”
The migrants are believed to have taken advantage of calm seas due to Friday and yesterday’s high temperatures, which soared above 79F (26C).
Border Force staff spent yesterday registering the men, whose cases will be dealt with by officials. Around 140 migrants, many of whom are understood to be from Iran and Syria, arrived by boat from France during May. A week ago eight migrants were found in a boat in the Channel heading towards the Kent coast. The previous week 52 migrants were intercepted.
Speaking after last week’s incident, a Home Office spokesman said: “Anyone crossing the Channel in a small boat is taking a huge risk with their life. Since the Home Secretary declared a major incident in December, two cutters have returned to UK waters from overseas operations, we have agreed a joint action plan with France and increased activity out of the Coordination and Information Centre in Calais.”