Boat with ‘six migrants’ on board is picked up off the Kent Coast

Two boats containing 23 migrants are intercepted off the Kent Coast taking the number who have crossed the Channel to 39 in just two days

  • Border Force picked up six migrants this morning and searched for second boat 
  • Second vessel not found but today’s arrival brings this year’s total to 46 people  
  • The Home Secretary Sajid Javid facing criticism over pledge to step-up security 

Twenty-three more migrants arrived at the Dover coast overnight after being brought ashore by Border Force officers.

This morning at 4am eight people in a small boat were brought to the port in Kent after 15 were towed to the shore following a sighting on the Channel at 11.30pm last night. 

The Home Office confirmed the arrivals this morning, which means that at least 39 people have made the perilous journey in just two days. 

A spokeswoman for the Coastguard said: ‘We have been assisting Border Force off the Kent coast last night and this morning.’   

It comes after 16 migrants arrived on the Kent coast yesterday in three separate landings at Dover, Folkestone and Kingsdown. 

Today’s arrival follows three yesterday as a helicopter news team captured these migrants (pictured )being brought ashore on Sunday 

The BBC's Simon Jones tweeted this morning that there were 'possibly' 'six' migrants on board the boat which came ashore today 

The BBC’s Simon Jones tweeted this morning that there were ‘possibly’ ‘six’ migrants on board the boat which came ashore today 

One dinghy carrying eight people arrived in Dover on Sunday morning after fisherman spotted it in the Channel and it was towed to shore after fisherman spotted the vessel. 

Just 10 miles away a rib was discovered ashore with seven life jackets after somebody slashed the vessel to deflate it. Two men later attended a police station, identifying themselves as Iranian migrants. 

Yesterday this dinghy arrived in Britain in one of three arrivals and this morning another boat was towed to the Kent coast 

Yesterday this dinghy arrived in Britain in one of three arrivals and this morning another boat was towed to the Kent coast 

Six males made it to the UK on an inflatable and were spotted on a beach shortly after they arrived. On January 7, eight migrants were detained after arriving in Romney Marsh, Kent. 

Today’s reported arrival means that 286 migrants have crossed the Channel to arrive in Britain since the beginning of November.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid yesterday faced criticism over his handling of the situation at the border.

He declared a ‘major incident’ in December after 139 migrants were caught over Christmas. 

This deflated dinghy washed up in Kent yesterday carrying lifejackets and two men reported to a police station stating that they were Iranian migrants 

This deflated dinghy washed up in Kent yesterday carrying lifejackets and two men reported to a police station stating that they were Iranian migrants 

Mr Javid vowed to step-up patrols in the Channel, but last night there was still no sign of the two extra Border Force patrol boats he pledged, three weeks after they were ordered back from the Mediterranean. 

Dover MP Charlie Elphicke told the Daily Mail he will today demand answers from Mr Javid in Parliament. 

‘The Home Secretary pledged to bring the two cutters that were cruising in the Mediterranean back to protect our borders,’ he said.

‘They don’t appear to have moved far and we need to know when they will be arriving in the English Channel.’

  

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk