A major milestone has been reached in the small boats crisis, as 100,000 migrants have crossed the Channel since the crisis began in 2018.
The landmark figure was reached today, as GB News can reveal a further 400 people have crossed in 8 small boats today.
Authorities are currently responding to other potential small boat sightings in the Channel.
The arrivals are the first since Saturday, as bad weather made conditions in the Channel largely impassable.
Small boats and outboard motors thought to be used by migrants crossing the Channel.
PA
Before today, 99,961 people had crossed the Channel, since small migrant dinghies were first spotted in the Channel five years ago.
During that first year in 2018, just 299 migrants made the crossing.
The following year, 1,843 people made the illegal journey.
By 2020, the numbers crossing had begun to accelerate rapidly, reaching 8,466.
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, after being rescued by a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel on May 19th, 2023.
PA
The following year saw an almost four-fold increase, as the Home Office confirmed 28,526 people had crossed.
Then last year, a record 45,755 people made the journey.
The 100,000 mark will pile more pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has made stopping the small boats one of his government’s key priorities.
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But despite the Prime Minister’s pledge, today’s arrivals take to total so far this year to more than 15,300.
Authorities have recovered an unmanned Border Force drone, which ditched in the English Channel earlier today, GB News can confirm.
The drone, based out of Lydd airport in Kent, had been monitoring Channel migrants when it suffered a technical failure and ditched in the water.
Throughout today, authorities have intercepted at least 11 dinghies carrying around 550 people.
