Little girl with no shoes in group of migrants arriving at Dover today
Little girl with no shoes is among dozens of migrants to arrive in Dover today after battling cold and wet conditions at sea
- Children were among the group of around 30 migrants arriving today in Dover
- Migrants crossing the Channel in small boats were brought to shore by the RNLI
- More than 4,000 migrants have arrived in the first three months of 2022 alone
- March 2022 has seen a year-on-year tripling in the number of migrant crossings
- Despite poor weather conditions, two groups of migrants arrived today in Kent
A little girl with no shoes was among the dozens of migrants arriving in the UK by small boat this afternoon after battling poor weather conditions in the Channel.
At least 30 people are thought to have made the perilous journey across the 21-mile Dover Strait so far today.
Today’s arrivals, which included a number of women and children, could be seen setting foot in Dover, Kent with blue blankets wrapped around their shoulders and heads after battling cold and wet conditions at sea.
The first group of around 20 people was escorted into the port on board an RNLI vessel before being led along the gangway for processing – among them at least seven small children in orange life-jackets were supported by UK officials.
A second group of around 10 migrants arrived a short while later on a black Border Force rib.
Children wearing life jackets and wrapped in blankets were seen among the groups of migrants being escorted into the Dover Port
At least 30 people are thought to have made the treacherous trip across the 21-mile Dover Strait so far today, despite poor weather conditions in the Channel
Today’s arrivals bring the total number of migrants arriving in the UK in 2022 well above 4,000
Border Force cutter Hunter arrived in Dover shortly after 3pm carrying approximately 15 people, while Border Force cutter Seeker escorted a similar sized group to shore a few minutes later.
Today’s arrivals could be seen setting foot in Dover, Kent with blue blankets wrapped around their shoulders and heads after battling cold and wet conditions at sea.
Two Mayday distress signals were reportedly broadcast via radio communications today.
This comes after Friday (March 25) saw the total number of migrant crossings this year exceed 4,000.
According to official Home Office figures, at least 4,164 people have arrived in the UK via 134 small boats in 2022 – a number which was not reached until June in 2021.
March alone has seen 2,680 migrants arrive on British soil – more than the total number of people who made the journey in January, February, March and April combined last year, and over triple the 831 who arrived in the entirety of March in 2021.
The busiest day this year was March 15 which saw 405 people reach the UK in 12 boats.
Migrant crossings were expected to dwindle towards the end of last week due to poor visibility at sea, and while the weekend saw no small boat arrivals, 77 people made the treacherous journey across the Channel on Friday (March 25).
March alone has seen 2,680 migrants arrive on British soil – more than triple the 831 who arrived in the entirety of March in 2021. Pictured: Border Force staff escort new arrivals
French authorities also intercepted 128 people from reaching the UK the same day.
However as the weather continues to deteriorate, only a small number of migrants are expected to arrive in Britain by small boat this week – with temperatures dropping, wind speeds picking up and rainfall predicted over the coming days.
Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration, Tom Pursglove MP, said: ‘The rise in dangerous Channel crossings is unacceptable.
‘Not only are they an overt abuse of our immigration laws but they also impact on the UK taxpayer, risk lives and our ability to help refugees come to the UK via safe and legal routes. Rightly, the British public has had enough.
‘Through our Nationality and Borders Bill, we’re cracking down on people smugglers and fixing the broken system by making it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK illegally and introducing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for those who facilitate illegal entry into our country.’
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