More than 250 migrants arrive in Kent after crossing the English Channel in calm weather

• WATCH: Migrants arriving at Dungeness beach on Thursday

More than 250 migrants have arrived in Kent after crossing the English Channel, making the most of the calm weather.

Among the steady stream of people seen being brought ashore in Dover on Thursday (03/03) were men and women wrapped in thick winter coats and blankets as well as a young girl, who was led to safety by an officer.

The arrivals continued later into the afternoon when more than 20 people who landed on Dungeness beach in a dinghy were met by officials.

The Home Office confirmed that UK authorities rescued or intercepted a total of 253 people on 10 boats on Thursday, while the French stopped 196 people on seven boats.

The crossings started again this week, with many attempting the journey amid the calm seas after a period of bad weather, like storms Dudley and Eunice.

Since the start of the year, more than 1,500 people have reached the UK after navigating busy shipping lanes from France in small boats, according to data compiled by the PA news agency.

This includes 230 people who arrived in the UK during several crossings on Tuesday.

Last month the Home Office published the first ever statistics measuring irregular migration.

The figures revealed 28,526 people arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel in small boats last year.

That compares with 8,466 people crossing in 2020, 1,843 in 2019 and 299 in 2018.