Hundreds of migrants cross Channel in one day after 10-day lull

Nearly 500 migrants have arrived in the UK in one day, in the first boats to successfully cross the Channel in 10 days.

The seven vessels that made the crossing were the first since 17 August when 250 people arrived.

Dinghies arrived in British waters until late into the night on Thursday, with 494 people being brought into the Border Security Command compound in Dover, Kent.

The total number is down overall this year, according to BBC Verify analysis of government data.

Some 16,391 migrants have crossed the Channel so far, down 43% on the same time last year, and a 17% drop from the same point in 2024.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said she will not be "complacent" about the falling numbers, and that there is "more we must do".

"That is why I have boosted enforcement on the French beaches and overseas and introduced new legislation to tackle the pull factors that draw people here through unsafe and illegal routes," she added.

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