A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover
(Picture: PA Wire)At least five young children were among 158 people who crossed the English Channel from France on Sunday - the first to be brought ashore in two weeks.
Crossings over the perilous Dover Strait have been quiet since August 21 following poor weather conditions.
But they have now resumed and four boats arrived over the weekend. Many more were thought to be attempting the journey on Monday morning.
Border Force and French authorities have become active again in the Channel.
Four toddlers wrapped in hooded jackets and a baby being carried were among those seen arriving at the port in Kent on Sunday.
The group were led up a gangway by staff and taken to the Home Office facility on the quayside.
The arrivals brought the total number of people who have crossed to the UK aboard small boats this year to more than 12,500, according to data compiled by the PA news agency.
Crossings in 2021 have already eclipsed last year’s annual total of 8,417.
Despite this, the UK continues to see far fewer boat arrivals and asylum claims than many of its European counterparts.
Across the water, French authorities rescued a four-year-old child among 23 people on board a boat which had got into difficulty after suffering engine damage.
Since the beginning of 2019, more than a dozen people have died or gone missing while trying to make the perilous trip across the Channel.
Last month, a 27-year-old Eritrean man died after he and four others jumped overboard when their boat started to sink.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has promised to make the life threatening journey "unviable" for people wanting to enter the UK illegally.
She wants to increase prison sentences for illegal migrants and for those who "facilitate" crossings.
