Nearly 500 migrants arrive in UK after crossing the Channel in nine small boats

Nearly 500 migrants have made the crossing of the Channel to the UK in one day.

According to Home Office figures, a total of 471 people arrived in nine boats on Saturday October 12, following 142 in two boats on Friday.

The latest arrivals bring the total so far for 2024 to 27,225 which is a 5% increase on the same time last year but 25% less than 2022.

By October 12 2023, 25,931 people had made the crossing and in 2022, 36,491 had arrived.

The crossings on Saturday came a week after four people, including a two-year-old boy, died after two boats got into trouble off the coast of France on Saturday October 5.

The fatal incidents came on the same day as 973 migrants crossed in 17 small boats, the biggest daily number this year.

A Home Office spokesman said: “We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security.

“As we have seen with so many recent devastating tragedies in the Channel, the people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay.

“We will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.

“We are making progress, bolstering our personnel numbers in the UK and abroad.

“Our new Border Security Command will strengthen our global partnerships and enhance our efforts to investigate, arrest, and prosecute these evil criminals.”