Rush to cross English Channel before Dunkirk migrant camp closes
Video report by ITV News Correspondent Dan Rivers
Millions of people cross the English Channel every year, to be greeted by the iconic white cliffs of Dover.
However, for many, the journey is a perilous one as they seek a new and better life in the UK.
For the last three days, ITV News cameras have captured extraordinary scenes as boat after over-packed boat heads towards the UK's shores.
Those on board share a common wish - a new life in the United Kingdom.
In recent days, the numbers of those making the crossing has increased.
The driving force behind this surge is the imminent closure of The Gym - a Dunkirk migrant camp, so called for its home within a redundant sports facility.
French authorities have ordered the camp be shut down and its residents dispersed across the country's 96 departments.
Desperate to the escape the relocation, migrants are heading to Britain by any means possible.
From dinghies to kayaks, those who have travelled thousands of miles are willing to risk it all to make that final sprint of just over 20.
British Border Force boats patrol the strait, looking for boats overburdened with those promised a new start.
Those who are found are taken to Dover harbour; their numbers often include children.
Not all make it, scenes that a few years ago were so shocking in the Mediterranean are now commonplace right on our doorstep