More migrants have crossed Channel this year than in whole of 2020 as we PAY France £54m to add more patrols
MORE migrants have crossed the English Channel this year than the whole of 2020 - as a £54million deal was today agreed to patrol French beaches.
At least 287 people made their way across the sea from the continent , meaning 8,452 migrants have arrived this year, soaring past 2020's total of 8,410.
And with five months - and crucially most of the summer sailing season, still to go this year - the numbers are expected to continue to rise.
The new numbers comes as Home Secretary Priti Patel sealed a deal to get more French cops to patrol the beaches of Northern France by getting out her cheque book.
Britain has agreed to hand over £54million to fund the extra policing between Boulogne and Dunkirk, and expanding the patrols further along the coast to the port of Dieppe.
Ms Patel said: “The British people have simply had enough of illegal migration and the exploitation of migrants by criminal gangs.
“Illegal immigration is driven by serious organised criminals and people smugglers. The public are rightly angry that small boats are arriving on our shores, facilitated by appalling criminal gangs who profit from human misery and put lives at risk."
On Tuesday night, Dover MP Natalie Elphicke said: “Some people might be wondering what on earth we have been paying the French for as it is - tens of millions of pounds, yet more and more migrants arriving.
“What is needed is for France to stop boats leaving - as they are paid to do - turn boats back and make returns.
“Only then will the small boats crisis come to an end.”
On Tuesday, a number of boats reached the UK after setting off from continental Europe, with dozens landing in Dungeness in Kent.
Many were brought to the beach aboard an RNLI lifeboat, where they were met by immigration officials.
Further along the coast, others were brought to the port of Dover by Border Force.
Tuesday's arrivals came after at least 430 people, including women and young children reached the UK on Monday, a new record for a single day.
Thousands of migrants have continued to make the trip across the Channel packed aboard often unseaworthy dinghies over the last 18 months, putting their lives at risk on one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
One African migrant told photographers the group had paid £3,000 each for the 10-hour crossing.
Earlier, a French warship escorted around 13 migrants crammed into a dinghy into English waters with a baffled ITV film crew left to monitor the vessel.
The team from Good Morning Britain alerted the coastguard before a Border Force jet ski met the dinghy in the Channel.
GMB journalist Pip Tomson said they agreed to "observe" the migrants as UK officials were so busy dealing with other incidents.
But Border Force were "nowhere to be seen" when another dinghy of 12 migrants was spotted, she said.
Border Force cutters were dispatched on search and rescue missions to bring groups of migrants back to Dover.
Dan O'Mahoney, clandestine channel threat commander for the Home Office, said the Government "continues to take steps to tackle the unacceptable problem".
"How low can you go when people are a commodity?"
Dungenness fisherman
Residents close to the RNLI Dungeness lifeboat station said they had seen a "huge" spike in migrants being brought ashore this year.
A fisherman, 57, told The Sun: "I see it every day. I work at sea. I have probably seen this year probably 3,000.
"I have seen a huge amount this year. Last year we saw one now and again, Now its unusual not to see a dinghy or a French vessel.
"It makes me feel angry. Somebody is getting extremely rich. The people who traffic them are people dealers.
"How low can you go when people are a commodity?"
Yesterday's arrivals included a family-of-six from Kuwait who were escorted to Dungeness lifeboat station after paying smugglers £8,000 to make the crossing.
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The dad said: "There are six of us, four children. We have come from Kuwait originally but have been in France for the last month.
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"We paid £8,000 to come here."
His 12-year-old daughter added: "None of us can swim but everyone on the boat had lifejackets."
