Channel crossings resume following five days with no attempts

Crossings of the English Channel in small boats have resumed today (Thursday 29 September) following five days with no attempts.

A group of people, thought to be migrants, was brought to shore in Dover, Kent on Thursday morning following a small boat incident in the Channel, the world’s busiest shipping lane.

People, including a small number of children, were wrapped in blue blankets and carrying their belongings in black bin bags as they walked through the Border Force compound in Dover.

This follows five days with no Channel crossings, likely due to poor weather.

The news comes as the total number of people making the dangerous crossing so far in 2022 has passed 32,000, according to PA analysis of Ministry of Defence figures.

Some 650 people crossed the Channel in 14 boats on Friday, September 23, bringing the year’s total to 32,308.

August 22 was the date with the highest number of people brought to the UK so far this year, with 1,295 people rescued in the Channel.

1,160 people were brought to shore on September 4, and 1,142 were rescued on September 22.

There have been 27,040 crossings since the announcement of the Rwanda deal by then-home secretary Priti Patel.

Speaking to BBC Radio Kent about the Rwanda deal this morning, Prime Minister Liz Truss said: “We are (sticking with the Rwanda policy) and what we will make sure is that UK courts can’t be overruled by the European Court of Human Rights so we are able to deal with the small boats crisis, and the Home Secretary is determined to get on with that.”