More migrants arrive in UK as Channel crossings resume

More than 13,000 people have made dangerous journey by boat in past year

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought to Dover, Kent, on board a Border Force vessel. PA

Channel crossings to the UK continued for a fourth consecutive day on Monday, with several children brought ashore in Dover.

Last week, the Ministry of Defence recorded 607 people that had arrived in the UK in 15 boats over the course of five days.

About 13,307 people have made the crossing so far this year, navigating busy shipping lanes from France in small boats such as dinghies, provisional government figures show.

PA news agency analysis showed that 3,136 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK in June, the highest monthly total this year.

Downing Street confirmed the government still plans to send migrants arriving illegally to Rwanda, despite Boris Johnson resigning as prime minister, and suggested attempts could be made to get the first deportation flight off the ground before a legal challenge on July 19.

Dozens of arrests were made last week in the biggest international police operation against people smugglers, with authorities moving to take down a gang thought to be responsible for about 10 per cent of all migrant Channel crossings last year.

Raids took place in the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands on July 5 as part of a joint operation co-ordinated by Europol and Eurojust, the European Union’s criminal justice co-operation agency.