Migrant crisis: 621 arrive in the UK in just five days despite poor weather
Over 600 people have arrived in the past five days despite treacherous weather conditions
PA
Despite bad weather conditions in the English Channel for most of the past fortnight, 621 migrants have crossed to the UK in 15 small boats in just five days, according to official figures.
The Home Office stats reveal 358 migrants arrived in eight small boats yesterday alone, after a slight improvement in conditions.
However, maritime security sources said the weather in the Channel was “still dangerous yesterday for small boats” - highlighted by multiple rescues the French authorities launched to help migrant boats in trouble.
According to the French based Gris-Nez Regional Operational Centre for Surveillance and Rescue (Cross), maritime rescuers responded to reports of several small boats in difficulties in the Pas-de-Calais Strait.
The influx comes amid poor weather conditions in the UK
PA
Cross said that in a separate incident near Boulogne in the early hours yesterday, the rescue tug Abeille Normandie responded to 37 people in difficulty on a small boat off the coast of Wimereux beach.
Those rescued were taken to Boulogne harbour, where some were treated for the effects of exposure to the sub-zero temperatures.
The incident off Wimereux was the exact same spot where five migrants died at the weekend when they got into difficulties trying clamber aboard a small boat which had just been launched by people smugglers.
During the night yesterday, almost 50 miles south of Boulogne, another migrant boat was reported in difficulties off Cayeux-sur-Mer.
The French navy hydrographic vessel Laperouse rescued nine people, but several other people on board the small boat refused the offer of assistance from the navy and continued their journey to try to reach UK waters.
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French authorities said the decision was taken to let the migrants continue their journey, rather than forcefully intervene and potentially put other lives at risk.
A maritime source said: “That incident 50 miles south of Boulogne shows just how far the criminal gangs are prepared to go to try to evade French police beach patrols.
“It also raises a key question over the French policy of not forcefully intervening to pull those people off a boat that was clearly in difficulties.”
The source said it was always difficult to second-guess a real-time decision making process “but given they’ve just gone to the aid of nine people from this small boat who were obviously in trouble, many people might well be scratching their heads and asking why the boat was allowed to continue and not towed back to France”.
French maritime authorities said they assisted in the rescue of a total of 46 migrants in several different incidents during the early hours of yesterday morning.
At least five migrants drowned in the English Channel last week
PA
One source said the arrival of 621 people since the start of the year, despite the predominantly poor weather “shows there’s still no shortage of those waiting in the migrant camps of northern France for their turn to cross.”
However, a Home Office spokesperson said the Government’s Stop the Boats policy was beginning to work, as shown by the significant reduction in small boat crossings last year.
The spokesperson added: “Our priority is to stop the boats, which is why we have taken robust action to crackdown on vile people smuggling gangs, deter migrants from making dangerous crossings and, alongside our French counterparts, intercept vessels.
“This relentless action reduced crossings by 36 per cent last year, which saw similar weather conditions to 2022, and more than 26,000 attempts were prevented.
“The fact that we have seen three devastating fatal incidents in three months highlights the unacceptable risks that migrants and criminal gangs are running in pursuing these dangerous, illegal and unnecessary crossing attempts.”
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