More than 1,700 people cross Channel in small boats this past week

New analysis of the number of migrants arriving in the UK show that 18,288 Channel migrants have made the crossing by small boat so far this year.

The latest official figures from the Ministry of Defence reveal that 377 people were pulled off 10 boats in the Channel on Saturday.

They included one man, who paddled across from France in an inflatable kayak.

He was the second migrant rescued from a kayak in as many days.

The first was picked up on Friday morning, after managing to paddle his kayak to just a few miles from Dover.

Both kayaks were the same 'Hydro-Force' make of boat, sparking fears that criminal gangs will send more of the tiny inflatables across in the coming days.

The milestone 18,000 mark was reached just five days after a record 696 people were picked up by lifeboats and Border Force vessels on Monday, the busiest day for small boat crossings so far this year.

Weather conditions in the English Channel are expected to remain fairly good for the next seven days, increasing the chance that the number of Channel migrant arrivals will top 20,000 by this time next week.