French coastguard rescues twelve migrants including child after their boat broke down in the Channel
- On board were 12 migrants, made up of 10 men, a woman and a child
- They were three Iraqis, three Afghans, one Pakistani and five Iranians
- 989 migrants have made crossing since November as the migrant crisis worsens
Twelve migrants had to be rescued in the English Channel when the small boat they were in broke down in the early hours of today.
Had the 12 arrived in the UK it would have meant more than 1,000 had successfully made the dangerous crossing since the start of November.
So far 989 have made the crossing in that time as the migrant crisis has worsened.
This morning at 4am a ferry alerted the emergency services to a small boat in trouble off the coast of Calais on route to the Kent coast in England.
By 8am the French authorities approached the boat three miles north of Calais which had suffered engine failure.
A group of around 38 migrants were caught travelling across the Channel to Kent shortly before midday, a witness said (pictured: Migrants arrive accompanied by Border Force in Dover July 16)
On board were 12 migrants, made up of 10 men, a woman and a child.
They were three Iraqis, three Afghans, one Pakistani and five Iranians.
One of the Iraqis had to be taken to hospital because of an injury to their finger.
The other 11 were picked up by French border police who detained them.
The Border Force has been trying to tackle the migrant crisis since the start of November.
Since then 989 have arrived by crossing the channel, including around 86 children, in small boats.
In the beginning of April, 21 migrants – including a one-year-old baby – tried to get to Dover from Calais in two separate boats (one pictured)
In December, the Home Secretary declared the crossings a major incident and returned two Border Force cutters to the UK to attempt to stop the crossings.
But the warm weather this summer has led to a increase. Last month more than 160 made the journey.
The Home Office has been criticised for its response to the crisis.
But it is trialling a new long-range thermal imaging camera which is capable of spotting people on French beaches more than 20 miles away.
The camera allow Border Force officers to zoom in with the thermal imaging high definition cameras on the coast of Calais from the cliffs of Dover for migrants in small dinghies or boats.
Border Force officials intercepted four dinghies carrying men, women and children in May as they made the journey from northern France to the Kent coast
The Ranger HDC camera is from US specialist company FLIR. It uses infrared radiation and enables the user to see people in total darkness and in all weather conditions.
It would help alert French police and coastguard to migrants as soon as enter the sea – meaning they can pick migrants up long before they even approach British waters.
It is understood officials are assessing the system, which could cost as much as £1million to buy.
A spokesman for the Home Office said: ‘Anyone crossing the Channel illegally is putting their life in danger, which is why the UK is working side by side with France to tackle the issue.
‘Our Joint Action Plan has seen nearly £1 million invested in new security equipment since December 2018, with a further £2 million set to be spent on additional security measures to deter migrants from making this dangerous journey.
‘The Home Office does not comment on operational matters of border security, including the allocation of specific technologies.’