Dozens of migrants cross Channel on dinghies as RNLI lifeboat crews are scrambled to save group off the coast of Kent after people smugglers took advantage of calm weather conditions
- The asylum seekers are said to have been brought into Dover before midday
- Read more: Locals go to war over new centres for 5,000 boat migrants
People smugglers have taken advantage of a break in poor weather conditions after dozens of migrants crossed the Channel to the UK on small boats.
One boat carrying around 20 people was involved in an incident and required the assistance of RNLI lifeboat and rescue crews.
Photographs taken on Tuesday afternoon captured the moment an RNLI lifeboat carrying a group of some 20 or more people arrived at a beach in Dungeness, Kent.
A HM Coastguard spokesperson said it ‘has been co-ordinating a search and rescue response to an incident involving small boats off Kent, working with Border Force, Kent Police and other partners’.
They added: ‘We sent Dover and Dungeness lifeboats.
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dungeness, Kent, by the RNLI
This came following a small boat suspected to have 20 people on board was involved in an incident in the Channel
‘HM Coastguard will continue to safeguard life around the seas and coastal areas of the UK, working with search and rescue resources in the area.
‘If a vessel needs search and rescue assistance, HM Coastguard will continue to respond to all those in need.’
The Home Office confirmed to MailOnline that there was a small boat incident that was not serious.
In Dungeness, a group wearing red life jackets disembarked the vessel via a ladder before they were led up the pebbled beach by Border Force agents.
They were then searched and their possessions were bagged up before they boarded a coach, a photographer at the scene said.
They were escorted into the port on an RNLI lifeboat shortly before 11am after attempting to make the perilous journey across the 21-mile Dover Straits in inflatable dinghies or other small crafts.
More migrants were expected to arrive later today as the conditions in the Channel remain relatively calm.
A Border Force vessel defender and an RNLI lifeboat could be seen patrolling the waters around midday.
The latest arrivals are the first to reach the UK in almost a week following severe gales in the Channel with the onset of Storm Mathis last Thursday, which saw the Met Office issue a yellow wind warning for coastal areas of southern England.
READ MORE: Number of migrants crossing the Channel in first three months of 2023 was 17% below period last year
According to official Government figures, just 840 migrants made the treacherous journey in 21 boats in March – an average of 40 people per vessel – compared to 1,770 in February and 1,180 in January.
This brings the total number of asylum seekers who have made the crossing so far in 2023 to 3,790.
The busiest day this year came on January 22 when 442 people reached British soil in a 24-hour period.
Last year saw a record 45,728 migrants cross the Channel, which was significantly more than 2021’s total of 28,526.
But officials have warned that as many as 80,000 migrants could enter the UK on small boats this year.
A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘The unacceptable number of people risking their lives by making these dangerous crossings is placing an unprecedented strain on our asylum system.
‘Our priority is to stop this illegal trade, and our Small Boats Operational Command is working alongside our French partners and other agencies to disrupt the people smugglers.
‘The government has gone further by introducing legislation which will ensure that those people arriving in the UK illegally are detained and promptly removed to their country of origin or a safe third country.’
It is thought that people smugglers took advantage of the break in poor weather conditions
The migrants are said to have arrived in Dover before midday today
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