Droves of illegal migrants arrive in Britain as UK braces for record May heat

WATCH NOW: Hundreds of illegal migrants set sail for Britain as UK braces for record May heat

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GB NEWS

Susanna Siddell

By Susanna Siddell


Published: 23/05/2026

- 10:41

Updated: 23/05/2026

- 11:45

Today marks the second day of four days of sunny weather in the Channel

Droves of illegal migrants have arrived in Britain just as the UK is gearing up for record-breaking May temperatures.

GB News can confirm that two dinghies have set off from Belgium and have been escorted to British shores.


One Border Force vessel carrying 79 migrants has now arrived in Kent after intercepting one of the boats an hour before.

Yesterday, almost 400 migrants made the perilous crossing across the Channel over the course of the first day of warm weather.

Today marks the second of at least four days of sunny weather conditions as UK authorities ready themselves for an influx of migrants exploiting the warm spell.

GB News's National Reporter Will Godley, who is reporting on the ground in Dover, explained how the people smugglers are capitalising on the summer sun.

Once crossed into British waters, the two dinghies will be intercepted by British Border Force vessels.

There, the migrants will be collected and put onto boats for a safe journey onto the shores of Dover.

Small boat migrants in dinghy

Today is the second of four days of warm weather

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GETTY

In the first week of May, illegal migrants crossing figures from France reached a shocking new milestone, with more than 200,000 arriving in the UK since the crisis began in 2018.

Temperatures are expected to soar above 30C in some areas across Britain over the Bank Holiday weekend.

On Friday, London saw temperatures higher than 28C on the warmest day of the year so far.

The UK Health Security Agency have issued amber heat health alerts for the Midlands, east and south east England.

But this Monday could see temperatures climb to a sweltering 33C across the south east of England, signalling ideal weather conditions for those looking to smuggle migrants across the Channel.

The sunny climes are expected to persist in Dover through Tuesday, where highs of 29C are currently expected, the Met Office forecast.

Temperatures in the coastal town are expected to cool down over the course of the week, only to rise again to 26C by Friday.

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