Another 36 migrants make latest crossing from France to UK

Border Force detained a group of 36 migrants during the early hours on Saturday who battled the dangerous conditions in a small boat over the Channel. 

They were brought into Dover Marina in Kent and escorted up the gangway to be processed by immigration enforcement.

Groups were seen huddling under light blue blankets for warmth as temperatures plummeted to 39F (4C).

French authorities also prevented 30 people from making the 21-mile journey over the weekend.

This included a group of ten migrants - some severely hypothermic - spotted getting into difficulty off the port of Gravelines on Saturday by crew on the bridge of a DFDS ferry.

Coastal maritime surveillance boat Scarpe, of the maritime gendarmerie, rescued them and returned them to Dunkirk shortly after 6.30am.

The latest migrant crossings mean 206 people have arrived on UK shores by small boat so far this year.

The Home Office said that UK authorities dealt with six incidents involving 103 people on Saturday, January 9, while French authorities prevented three boats with 29 people on board entering UK waters. 

In 2020, four times as many migrants made the dangerous crossing than in 2019, official figures show, with more than 8,400 making the dangerous crossing, up from 1,844 the previous year.