At least 280 people have crossed the English Channel today in 8 small boats, GB News has been told.
After a lull in small boat activity in recent days, due to bad weather in the Channel, the first boats were spotted just after 6am.
Border Force cutters and the Dover lifeboat responded to four boats initially.
Those onboard were brought to Dover harbour. The Border Force Cutter Vigilant, along with the Border Force Catamarans Hurricane and Typhoon were involved in an eight hour long operation to respond to a total of 8 small boats.
Migrants at Dover
Gareth Fuller
Some of the vessels were intercepted around 8 miles off Dungeness, while others were picked up 9 miles from Dover.
At least one of the small boats seen being towed into Dover harbour was full of tyre inner tubes which were being used as makeshift life jackets.
GB News' producer in Dover reported around 50 of those taken off the small boats today were from Albania.
A man carries a young child amongst a group of people thought to be migrants as they are brought in to Dover, Kent
Gareth Fuller
They've now all been taken to the Border Force reception centre in Dover harbour for initial processing.
Today's arrivals take the number of people who have crossed the English Channel this year to almost 10,000.
That number is significantly higher than the numbers who crossed at the same time last year.
The arrival of tens of thousands of would-be asylum seekers is causing a growing headache for UK authorities, as they try to find accommodation for the latest arrivals.
GB News has been told the Home Office is requisitioning up to 30,000 hotel rooms every day to house asylum seekers.
Controversial plans to send around 1,500 asylum seekers to an old RAF base in North Yorkshire have been paused, while the Home Office assesses potential legal action.
The first of 60 asylum seekers were due to arrive at the former base in Linton-on-Ouse today.
But a Home Office spokesman said the move will be paused for a while because of a legal challenge from the local authority and some logistical delays.
