.png)
4 hours ago
2
Image source, SNSM
The large inflatable boat was pictured off the coast of France packed with people
ByDaniel SextonSimon JonesJacob PanonsSouth East and Daniel SandfordUK correspondent
A small boat has crossed the English Channel carrying 230 people, the largest number to make the journey in a single vessel.
It breaks the previous record set in July, when 165 people made the crossing on a single vessel.
The boat arrived in the UK in the early hours of Monday.
A picture taken off the coast of northern France showed the inflatable boat was so full many passengers had to dangle their legs in the water as it entered the busy shipping route.
A Home Office spokesperson said this latest incident demonstrated the "reckless and dangerous tactics employed by criminal gangs... who continue to put lives at risk by cramming ever greater numbers of people onto unseaworthy vessels".
French rescuers said the 15m (49ft) boat was "buckling" in the water and could have led to a "tragedy".
The boat was already carrying about 50 people when it was seen heading towards a beach to pick more passengers up, the crew in Berck-sur-Mer added.
French maritime officials said 30 migrants were left stranded by the tide during a boarding attempt at Berck beach in northern France.
They were brought to safety by maritime and land-based rescue services, the statement from France's Channel and North Sea Maritime Prefecture said.
The boat carrying 232 people continued its journey, before two passengers requested assistance and were taken to Calais by a French Navy rescue ship, the statement added.
Image source, SNSM
The 230 people on one boat breaks the previous record from July when 165 people made the crossing on a single vessel
There are signs smugglers have been putting increasing numbers of people into each boat.
In 2018, there was an average of seven people per boat - but last year, that had risen to 62.
Last Tuesday, 173 migrants had to be rescued from a single boat, which caught fire.
Some 258 migrants arrived in the UK in four boats on Saturday, according to Home Office figures, with 423 arriving in five boats on Sunday.
However, the number of crossings overall is on course to be lower this year.
The provisional total for the number who have made the crossing so far in 2026 is 15,242, which is down by 43%, while the number of boats that have successfully crossed is down by 49%.
Last month, the Home Office recorded the lowest number of crossings in July since 2020.
Officials think this is partly because they have managed to disrupt the supply of small boats and engines to the people smugglers, with 1,100 seized since Labour came to power.
Officials claim that with the sophisticated surveillance and reconnaissance operation now operating over the Channel, "unintercepted" beach landings have ended.
All boats that make it across the halfway point in the Channel are met at sea by Border Force, which then brings the migrants safely ashore for processing.
There is still clear demand for the crossings as the number of people waiting in camps in northern France has not reduced.
At the same time, weather conditions have not been significantly different this year.
Officials believe this shows their work to disrupt the smuggling gangs is beginning to show results.
Despite this, concerns persist about the numbers still able to make it to the UK.
Tap the questions below
How many people cross the English Channel in small boats?Between 1 January and 8 August 2026, a total of 14,819 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France. This was down by 43% on the same period the previous year.
These crossings have become the most common way for people to be detected entering the UK illegally since 2020.
Nearly all those who arrive by small boat claim asylum. Under international law, this means they are allowed to stay in the country while their asylum application is considered.
Small boat arrivals made up 42% of asylum applications between April 2025 to March 2026.
Boats that arrived in the UK from 9 August 2025 to 8 August 2026 carried an average of 67 people. This has more than doubled since 2021.
Experts say overcrowding in boats makes crossings riskier. At least 84 people died while attempting to cross the Channel in 2024, according to the United Nations (UN).
When looking at the scale of small boats crossings, the number of these arrivals is about 5% of the size of total immigration into the UK from January 2025 to December 2025.
The government has pledged to “smash the gangs” behind these crossings in order to reduce the numbers.
Who is arriving in the UK on small boats?People from Eritrea accounted for 18% of all arrivals from April 2025 to March 2026.
In the latest figures covering January 2025 to December 2025, at least 2,000 people who arrived by small boat were found to be potential victims of human trafficking or other forms of modern slavery, according to the Home Office.
How else do people stay in the UK without permission?Another 4,535 people were detected entering the UK without permission via other methods including hiding in vehicles, travelling on ferries or through airports from April 2025 to March 2026. This was down by 22% on the same period the previous year.
There are also individuals who arrive legally, for example via a work or study visa, and then overstay their limit.
The total number of people who live in the UK illegally after arriving legally is not known.
Ten people have been sentenced for endangering lives at sea since a new law designed to target people who pilot small boats came into force in January.
A spokesperson for the prime minister said: "We've seen today some appalling images... of young babies being put into these unseaworthy craft... shocking images, and they show the reality behind the ruthless smuggling gangs that are prepared to risk human lives for profit..."
"As the prime minister has said, we're not complacent and we are bearing down on these crossings, and that's reflected in the joint action that's prevented 47,000 attempted crossings since the election."
Image source, PA Media
The inflatable boat used during the crossing was pictured deflated on the quayside in Dover
The English Channel is one of the most dangerous, and busiest, shipping lanes in the world.
Many migrants come from some of the poorest and most chaotic parts of the world, and ask to claim asylum once they are picked up by the UK authorities.
On a recent visit to Dover, the prime minister pledged his government would be "relentless" in curbing the number of small boat arrivals.
Andy Burnham said enforcement officers tackling people-smuggling gangs had been doubled on both sides of the Channel, but "a system that offers safe routes for people" needed to be built as well.
In April, the UK and France struck a £662m (773m euro) deal aiming to address the issue.
The three-year agreement included plans to send riot-trained police to French beaches to tackle violence and "hostile crowds", as well as France deploying millions of pounds worth of drones and two helicopters as part of a system to intercept people smugglers and illegal migrants.
On X, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: "At 2.30am this morning a boat carrying 230 people was taken into Dover.
"This is a record number in a single vessel.
"It's yet more proof that this illegal invasion is a national security emergency."
Earlier on Monday, a Home Office spokesperson said: "We are making progress, with the number of small boat crossings down this year and the lowest number recorded for the month of July since 2020.
"But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40% more boots on the ground on French beaches."
Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, external, on X, external, on Instagram, external and listen to BBC Radio Kent on Sounds. Send your story ideas to [email protected], external or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
