Several migrants have been dramatically rescued after their small boat got into difficulties in the middle of the English Channel.
They were attempting to cross from France in poor weather conditions.
Lifeboats from Dover, Dungeness and Hastings were able to get to the scene and pull a number of people from the water.
Maritime sources say winds in the Channel are currently 30 miles per hour after a sudden change in conditions making small boat crossings virtually impossible.
Migrant vessel sinks in Channel after sudden weather shiftGB NewsEarlier this morning four boats successfully made the crossing with around 200 people being brought ashore to Dover by Border Force vessels.
So far this year, around 1,200 migrants have crossed, roughly the same number as had crossed at the same time last year.
Last weekend alone, 388 people made the crossing in seven dinghies.
In 2022, 1,339 people had successfully crossed by this stage in the year.
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The Government has insisted that any reduction in numbers has been due to its ‘Stop the Boats’ policy.
The provisional annual total for 2023, 29,437, is 36 per cent lower than the record 45,774 crossings for the whole of 2022.
But maritime experts believe poor weather conditions – including the recent storms - have played a significant part in the drop in migrants coming across.
Central to Rishi Sunak’s ‘Stop the Boats’ policy is the Government’s scheme to remove illegal migrants to Rwanda which is working its way through Parliament.
Sunak’s Safety of Rwanda Bill survived its third reading in the Commons after the Prime Minister saw off a Tory rebellion which had sought to toughen the legislation.
But despite dozens of small boat crossings so far this year, the Home Office insists the Government’s policy to ‘Stop the Boats’ is beginning to work.
A spokesperson told GB News: “Our priority is to stop the boats, which is why we have taken robust action to crackdown on vile people smuggling gangs, deter migrants from making dangerous crossings and, alongside our French counterparts, intercept vessels.
“This relentless action reduced crossings by 36 per cent last year, which saw similar weather conditions to 2022, and more than 26,000 attempts were prevented.”
