Wednesday - the most boat migrants in a day EVER

More than 10,000 migrants have officially crossed the Channel by small boat so far this year after almost 500 made the dangerous journey on Wednesday. 

Then as many as a further 300 are thought to have set sail for Britain Thursday, after a stream of fresh arrivals off the Kent coast. 

More than 50 migrants were seen disembarking Border Force catamaran Hurricane around 10.30am. Cutter Speedwell then brought in around 50 more - this time including women and sleeping babies - about half an hour later.

The busy day continued for UK search and rescue authorities when four migrants managed to land on the beach at Kingsdown near Deal, Kent.

Their tiny black dinghy filled with oars was hauled back out to sea by a Border Force officer riding a jet ski.

Dozens more migrants have been brought in for processing throughout the day on smaller black Border Force RHIBS. 

On Wednesday, a beachgoer filmed a boat of migrants pull up right next to Dungeness Power Station said that police were already waiting to collect them but allowed the group to pose for smartphone selfies on the pebbles.  

The footage showed the group of around 30 migrants who had made most of the treacherous crossing from France in a large blow-up boat before being rescued by the RNLI, which helped to bring them ashore. 

More than 10,000 migrants have officially crossed the Channel by small boat so far this year after almost 500 made the dangerous journey on Wednesday - a new record for a single day.

Border Force intercepted 482 people in 21 boats which smashed the previous daily record set on July 19 when 430 arrived.