Record 230 migrants cross Channel in single ‘mega-dinghy’

A record 230 migrants arrived after crossing the Channel to the UK in a single boat on Monday.

The “mega dinghy” left France overnight, arriving in Dover in the early hours. The number breaks the previous record from July when 165 people successfully made the crossing.

The inflatable boat was seen “buckling” in the water and could have led to a tragedy, according to French rescuers. The French lifeboat crew based at Berck-sur-Mer said the dinghy was 15m (49ft) long and was already carrying around 50 passengers when it was spotted heading towards a beach to pick up more.

French rescuers said that around 30 people ended up in the water during the rush to climb aboard the vessel at 5pm on Sunday, and had to be rescued.

The dinghy then headed towards the UK and was “buckling under the swell”.

Small boats used to cross the Channel have been getting bigger as people smugglers use fewer crossings with more passengers to evade the French authorities.

Small boat crossings to the UK this year are down compared to previous years, with around 14,000 making the journey between January and July.

The number of migrants crammed onto a single dinghy has been increasing in recent months, and one dinghy carrying 173 people capsized in the Channel after its engine caught fire earlier in August.

French authorities said that 173 people were rescued by French vessels, helped by two British border force boats and an RNLI lifeboat.

A previous record was set in July when 165 migrants reached the UK on a single boat. Border Security Command were pictured towing the dinghy, which was estimated to be the same size as a standard bus.

Responding on X on Monday, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “At 2.30am this morning a boat carrying 230 people was taken into Dover.

“This is a record number in a single vessel. It’s yet more proof that this illegal invasion is a national security emergency.”

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said French authorities should have stopped the dinghy. “This is now beyond a joke,” he said.

“The French authorities could easily have stopped a vessel this size from embarking in shallow waters.

“I recently saw for myself French Gendarmes standing by and doing nothing while illegal immigrants boarded in knee-deep water. Shabana Mahmood is handing over £660m of our money while this happens. It’s a disgrace.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “This latest incident demonstrates the reckless and dangerous tactics employed by the criminal gangs facilitating these crossings, who continue to put lives at risk by cramming ever greater numbers of people onto unseaworthy vessels.

“We are making progress, with the number of small boat crossings down this year and the lowest number recorded for the month of July since 2020.

“But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40 per cent more boots on the ground on French beaches.”

Last week, Charlie Eastaugh, director of maritime and small boats at Border Security Command, said that officers were working hard to bring down Channel crossing numbers.

He explained: “It is an active, layered campaign to attack the organised immigration crime model at every stage: upstream, across Europe, in northern France and Belgium, and in the UK.

“The incidents we have seen in the Channel over the last few weeks are a stark reminder of the dangers posed by criminal gangs exploiting people for profit. It is easy to look at out-of-context images and think little is happening to stop these crossings – this is simply not true.

“I know personally how tirelessly French officers have been working to disrupt launches before they reach UK shores. Their efforts include facing violent people with weapons, dispersing huge crowds, arresting smugglers, seizing equipment and collating vital evidence to help our prosecutions – which are at a record high.”

People smugglers have changed where boats are launched from in recent years, adopting a “taxi-boat”strategy that sees migrants wade into the water off French shores to board dinghies.