The first small boat migrants in more than a week have crossed the English Channel, after an improvement in weather conditions.
GB News can reveal that more than 230 people crossed in five small boats on Sunday, taking advantage of a brief weather window.
The arrivals are the first small boat crossings since Saturday February 17, when 111 people made the journey in 3 small boats.
GB News Kent producer counted 83 migrants as they disembarked the Border Force catamaran Defender at Dover harbour around 7am today.
Those arrivals, mainly men but with some women and children, were taken to the Border Force migrant processing centre in Dover.
GB News understands they were picked up from two separate small boats, that left the coast of France in the early hours of Sunday.
GB News understands they were picked up from two separate small boats
GB NEWS
Four hours later, the Border Force vessel Typhoon arrived in Dover, packed out with migrants.
GB News counted 152 people in total, who are believed to have been intercepted and picked up as they crossed in 3 small boats.
UK and French authorities had been braced today for another surge in small boat arrivals, after winds eased in the Channel for the first time in 8 days.
Sources suggested as many as 12 small boats might attempt to make the crossing on Sunday.
Border Force vessel Typhoon arrived in Dover, packed out with migrants
GB NEWS
Border Force are currently monitoring another two migrant boats, which are still in French waters currently attempting to reach the UK.
Winds are now picking up again, with storms due to roll in later on Sunday.
People smugglers have been condemned for pushing out migrant boats in bad weather, resulting in a number of recent fatal incidents.
On January 14, 5 migrants died when their small boat got into difficulties in bad weather just off the coast of France.
The Prime Minister has promised to Stop the Boats as one of the Government’s five key pledges, and has claimed his policies helped cut the numbers crossing last year by a third.
But despite very poor winter weather conditions so far this year, almost 2,000 migrants have still managed to cross the Channel since the New Year.
Source Agencies
