Migrant crossings to Dover tops 25,000 this year
It's after 717 made the journey yesterday
Last updated 23rd Sep 2024
More than 25,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel so far this year.
Home Office figures show 717 people made the journey in 13 boats on Sunday, taking the provisional total for 2024 to date to 25,052.
This is the third highest number of arrivals recorded on a single day this year, after 882 on June 18 and 801 on September 14.
It also means 1,424 Channel crossings took place this weekend, after another 707 people arrived on Saturday in 11 boats.
The total for the year so far is up 4% on this time last year (23,996) but 21% lower than the same period in 2022 (31,686).
Crossings have continued for a third day in a row today, amid overcast and windy weather conditions at sea. Photos showed people wearing life jackets and some wrapped in blankets, being brought ashore by Border Force in Dover, Kent.
Eight men died earlier this month, with six people including a 10-month-old baby being taken to hospital, after a boat with 53 migrants on board crashed into rocks off the coast of Ambleteuse in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced this month that £75 million would be used to boost the number of border security officers, amid the Government's bid to crack down on people smugglers, using money redirected from the scrapped Rwanda deportation plan.
The cash will also pay for hidden cameras and better monitoring technology as the Home Office sets up its new Border Security Command, led by a former police chief, as it aims to speed up investigations and increase the likelihood of successful prosecutions.
Earlier this year, it was also announced that an extra 100 specialist investigators will be allocated to the National Crime Agency (NCA) as part of efforts to curb Channel crossings.
Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, also said during a visit to Rome that he was "very interested" in Italy's efforts to curb levels of irregular immigration.
The "dramatic reductions" in the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea into Italy is something the Government wants to understand, he added.