More than 800 migrants have arrived in Britain on the busiest single day for Channel crossings this year.
Some 825 people made the journey across 13 boats on Wednesday, according to provisional figures from the Home Office.
It brings the cumulative number of arrivals by small vessels to 13,573.
This is 37% higher than at the same point last year, when the total stood at 9,882, and 86% higher than at this stage in 2023, when the total was 7,297.
It comes as new data showed Eritreans have become the most common nationality crossing the English Channel in small boats
Some 1,291 arrivals in the first three months of 2025 were from the East African country, 20% of the 6,420 whose nationality was known.
It is the first time the nation has accounted for the largest number of people making the journey per quarter.
The figure is up from 13% in October-December 2024 and 8% in July-September.
In those months, Afghan was the most common nationality.
People from Afghanistan were second largest group of arrivals in January to March of this year, accounting for 13% of the total.
This was followed by people from Sudan (12%), Vietnam (8%) and Iran (8%).
The rise in Eritrean migrants is the most recent example of a change in the mix of nationalities making the journey in small boats.
Data shows that nearly all the 6,420 migrants arriving in the first three months of this year whose nationality was known went on to make a claim for asylum.
Vietnamese was the most common nationality in both January to March and April to June 2024, accounting for 20% and 15% of arrivals respectively.
In response, the then Conservative government signed an agreement with Vietnam to step up efforts to discourage illegal travel to the UK.
The proportion of arrivals from Vietnam subsequently fell to 8% in July-September and 4% in October-December, though it rose to 8% in January-March this year.
Following a spike in summer 2022 in the number of Albanians arriving in the UK on small boats, the governments of both countries struck an agreement to work together to prevent people from making the journey.
This included placing UK Border Force staff in Tirana airport in the capital of Albania, an exchange of senior police officers and the creation of a joint migration task force.
Albanian nationals accounted for 28% of arrivals in 2022 but only 3% in 2023 and 2% in 2024.
