England braced for summer of migrant mayhem

England is braced for a summer of migrant chaos after more than 1,600 arrived across the Channel in the past month - more than double last year's total for May - and 500 were brought in over the final four days of last month alone.

In March, Home Secretary Patel said people who come to the UK via unauthorised routes - such as crossing the Channel in small boats - would be given far fewer privileges than others arriving in Britain. The most recent figures to last summer show just 3 per cent of arrivals are returned to mainland Europe.  

Friday was the busiest day of the year so far with 336 migrants reaching Britain aboard 19 dinghies and other small boats - and Border Force workers have warned that the soaring numbers of crossing will lead to 'mob unrest' in crowded accommodation centres.

At present, most of the migrants who arrive in Kent are initially housed at a former army barracks in Folkestone which was set on fire in a riot over conditions in January amid a coronavirus outbreak. 

Asylum seekers are free to come and go from the camp, and adults have an initial interview before being sent to accommodation centres across Britain, paid for by UK taxpayers and provided by private contractors.

The migrants are given £37.75 per week for essentials like food, clothes and toiletries while they wait for a decision on their asylum application. Kent County Council normally takes unaccompanied children into its care.

In total, May saw 1,619 migrants make the perilous journey from northern France - up 118 per cent on the 741 who arrived in May last year.

From January to May 2021, the total number of migrants to reach the UK stands at 3,727 - up 115 per cent on the running total at the same point last year. This does not include figures from today or yesterday.

During the whole of 2020, 8,410 people - including women and children - reached the UK. If arrivals continue at the same accelerated rate for the rest of the year, it could mean an annual total of nearly 18,000.