Number of people crossing English Channel in small boats this year passes 18,000

The number of people who have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year has passed 18,000, Ministry of Defence figures suggest.

On Saturday 337 people crossed the Channel in 10 small boats, bringing the total this year to 18,108.

The latest milestone came less than a week after 656 were rescued by UK Border Force and brought to shore in Kent - a record for a single day in 2022.

Provisional figures suggest 1,709 people have arrived in the UK so far in August.

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