Border Force responds to more small boat sightings in Channel as almost 900 illegal migrants make crossing in last 3 days

Border Force vessels have been responding to more small boat sightings in the English Channel this morning, as GB News can confirm almost 900 illegal immigrants have crossed since Friday.

For the fourth day running, criminal gangs launched boats from the shores of northern France.

So far, two boats have made it to UK waters, taking advantage of a weather window which deteriorates again later this afternoon.

The Border Force Vessel Defender arrived into Dover harbour just after 9am on bank holiday Monday.

The Defender had picked up 43 migrants from a dinghy which left Wimereux beach, in the Pas-de-Calais, several hours earlier.

Around 10am, the Border Security Command vessel Courageous unloaded a further 48 migrants at the Border Force processing facility in Dover.

That small boat had been launched from a beach in the Sangatte area.

The latest arrivals come a day after two migrants died when their boat got into difficulties south of Boulogne.

A 16-year-old girl and 20-year-old woman, believed to be Sudanese, were found dead inside the boat, which had run aground in the early hours of Sunday.

Seven other people were also taken to hospital, three in critical condition.

Despite the deaths, people smugglers continued to launch boats from the same stretch of coast yesterday, as well as further north in Dunkirk and Calais areas.

Across Sunday, a total of 425 illegal migrants made it to UK waters.

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On Saturday, 325 arrived in Dover after six migrant boats made it across, having launched from as far south as the Somme.
Migrant boat launches were also reported in Belgium on Saturday.

In total, since Friday and despite the dangers, 890 migrants have made the illegal journey.

A Home Office spokesman said: "This Government is bearing down on small boat crossings.

"The Home Secretary has signed a landmark new deal with France to boost enforcement action on beaches and put people smugglers behind bars.

"This builds on joint work that has stopped over 42,000 illegal migrants attempting to cross the channel since the election."