Dozens of migrants are caught crossing the English Channel in five boats – taking the total to have arrived this month to more than 500
- The vessels picked up off the Kent coast today, with 57 believed to be on board
- More than 2,000 have already reached the UK in Channel crossings this year
- The total for June alone is on the cusp of eclipsing a record number in a month
Dozens of migrants have today been detected in the Channel, meaning more than 500 will have crossed this month alone.
More than 2,000 have reached the UK in boats this year, while the current total for June is on the cusp of eclipsing a record number in a single month.
It is thought there could be as many as 57 refugees involved, with emergency services called out at 5.15am - although official Home Office figures for the latest incidents are not yet known.
Dozens of migrants have today been detected in the Channel, meaning more than 500 will have crossed this month alone
It is thought there could be as many as 57 refugees involved, with emergency services called out at 5.15am
It is understood 11 migrants were on board one boat and 15 were on another - with both vessels brought into Dover
Five boats have been picked up off the Kent coast - with another one reportedly sent back to France.
It is understood 11 migrants were on board one boat and 15 were on another - with both vessels brought into Dover.
A rescue operation is also underway to recover another boat off Dungeness in Kent, which could be carrying around 20 people.
Good visibility and warm weather made conditions perfect for crossing the Dover Strait shipping lane.
So far this month, 496 migrants have reached Britain in small boats, with the crossings today set to send the figure soaring past 500.
The record for the number of crossings from Northern France to the UK in a single month stands at 558 as of April, according to the Telegraph.
It comes a day after 15 refugees in one vessel were rescued off the Kent coast.
The Kuwaiti, Sudanese and Iranian males were picked up in a rigid-hulled inflatable boat at 8.10am.
Throughout this year, a staggering 2,226 refugees have reached the UK in Channel crossings.
Furthermore, it emerged last week that none of the 1,100 migrants who arrived in Britain illegally by boat over a recent seven-week spell have been deported - despite persistent pledges from Priti Patel.
The Home Secretary consistently vowed to eradicate crossings and return those who enter the country illegally, but just 155 of nearly 4,000 migrants have been sent back since January last year, figures showed.
That figure of 155 emerged at the beginning of May, and represented just five per cent of the 2,839 who arrived from the start of 2019, but the Home Office conceded last week that number remains the same - meaning none of the 1,138 who have landed in small boats in the last month-and-a-half have been returned.
It is understood 11 migrants were on board one boat and 15 were on another - with both vessels brought into Dover
So far this month, 496 migrants have reached Britain in small boats, with the crossings today set to send the figure soaring past 500
A migrant, wearing a face mask, is brought into Dover Harbour this morning by Border Force officers
Furthermore, it emerged last week that none of the 1,100 migrants who arrived in Britain illegally by boat over a recent seven-week spell have been deported - despite persistent pledges from Priti Patel
Minister for Immigration Compliance and the Courts Chris Philp said on Tuesday: 'Using all the skills of Border Force, the National Crime Agency, Immigration Enforcement and French Law enforcement, we are determined to dismantle these ruthless criminal gangs who facilitate these crossings and put people's lives in danger, and bring them to justice.
'Earlier this month two people smugglers were jailed, bringing the total jailed this year to 21.
'Over the last two months the French stopped over 1,000 migrants from making this perilous journey, and they stopped a significant number today.
'But we won't stop there and will continue to work tirelessly with our French counterparts to combat this.'
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