Dozens more migrants arrived in Kent today after crossing the English Channel with babies among those on board, as figures revealed nearly 2,000 arrived in the last week - setting a new record for the year so far.
Several young children were among a group seen arriving in Dungeness, while immigration officers tended to a woman who had been taken ill after she was brought ashore on a stretcher by police and members of the RNLI.
Several young children were among a group seen arriving in Dungeness, while immigration officers tended to a woman who had been taken ill after she was brought ashore on a stretcher by police and members of the RNLI.
Along the coast at Dover, a further group of migrants were brought into the marina on a Border Force vessel. The crossings come amid reports of cooler and slightly overcast weather today with breezy but clear conditions at sea.
A total of 1,959 people crossed the Channel from France in the week to September 10 - the highest total for any seven-day period in 2021 - and at least 14,400 people have now crossed to the UK on board small boats this year.
Figures for the most recent seven-day period, the week to September 12, show 1,876 people arrived. The total for 2021 is already about 6,000 higher than the number of people who made the crossing in 2020, which was 8,410.
The Government is facing huge pressure to reduce the numbers, with Priti Patel promising to pay France £54.2million to tackle the problem, although a £28.2million payment in November failed to stop the crossings.
The Home Secretary is also planning to spend £200million on a fleet of patrol boats to replace Border Force's five ageing cutters, which detect illegal immigration and smuggling.
The 50 migrants at Dungeness were brought in at about 2pm and were seen clinging onto the railings of the lifeboat. Police kept a watchful eye as they disembarked one by one and made their way up the shingle beach.
Border Force officers could be seen escorting them along the pebbled beach to be processed. Meanwhile at Dover - where migrants are usually brought in after crossing on small boats - one group was detained by 8am.
A man wearing a lifejacket appeared very uneasy on his feet as he was escorted up the gangway by Immigration Enforcement. Some 20 migrants were brought in on Border Force rigid hulled inflatable boats at around 11am.Border Force cutter Hunter docked shortly afterwards with around 40 migrants on board as the smaller black rigid hulled inflatable boats continued to simultaneously bring others into harbour.
Many of today's arrivals were draped in light blue blankets for warmth as conditions at sea turned choppy and windy. At least 100 migrants are believed to have arrived today but the Home Office is yet to confirm this.
It comes after officials revealed today that UK authorities rescued or intercepted 75 migrants in four boats yesterday. French authorities also prevented 42 people from reaching the UK on three boats.
The latest figures take the total to make the crossing in September to 2,034 in 57 boats. So far this year, 14,461 migrants have arrived compared to 2020's record total of 8,410.
Dan O'Mahoney, Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, said: 'This unacceptable rise in dangerous crossings is being driven by criminal gangs and a surge in illegal migration across Europe.
'We're determined to target the criminals at every level, so far, we have secured nearly 300 arrests, 65 convictions and prevented more than 10,000 migrant attempts. But there is more to do.
'The Government's New Plan for Immigration is the only credible way to fix the broken asylum system, breaking the business model of criminal gangs and welcoming people through safe and legal routes.'
Meanwhile, Border Force officers are set to use X-ray medical technology to confirm the age of migrants arriving here after a string of high profile cases in which would-be asylum seekers falsely claimed to be under 18.
One spent six weeks as a Year 11 pupil at a school in Ipswich in 2018 before the local authority discovered he was years older. t present, social workers simply study the appearance, behaviour and language of those claiming to be children to assess whether they are telling the truth.
But according to a Government document seen by The Mail on Sunday, x-rays of teeth and wrist bones could be used to provide a more accurate picture of a young person's age.
The UK is one of only a few countries not to use scientific methods to check the ages of asylum seekers. Officials are now said to be looking for a private sector firm to carry out assessments at several sites.
The document says: 'The initial estimate is for a requirement of approximately 1,000 assessments a year. However, this will fluctuate, potentially significantly.
'It is understood that the use of X-rays are the most common form of imaging techniques for these purposes, but other methods would not be precluded if they can be demonstrated to be viable and effective and the exact type of X-ray is still to be determined.'
Home Office research has found up to 54 per cent of migrants claiming to be children were over 18.
Ahmed Hassan, an Iraqi asylum seeker who planted a bomb on the London Underground in 2017 that partially exploded, injuring 23 people, pretended to be 16.
But a judge who jailed the Iraqi for 34 years in 2018 said he was satisfied he was over 18.
The British Dental Association has vigorously opposed the use of dental X-rays to determine whether asylum seekers have reached the age of 18, stressing they are an inaccurate method for assessing age.
The association also says it is 'inappropriate and unethical to take radiographs of people when there is no health benefit for them'
Yesterday Alp Mehmet, chairman of the Migration Watch UK think-tank, said: 'Adult migrants claiming to be children has long been an issue at the border, with an over-readiness to accept the word of claimants.
'We are among very few European countries that don't use scientific evidence in verifying age.
'It has been a major hole in our defences that traffickers have been only too ready to exploit. If this is now going to change, it is a welcome development.'
A Home Office spokesman said: 'We are seeing an unacceptable rise in dangerous and unnecessary small boat crossings. That's why we continue to explore all options available to bring these numbers down.'
