Around 140 migrants rescued from a single dinghy in the English Channel

Around 140 migrants aboard a single inflatable boat were rescued in the English Channel after requesting help in UK waters. Two RNLI lifeboats from Bembridge and Yarmouth met the dinghy and took those on board to shore in the United Kingdom.

The boat launched overnight from the Bay of the Seine, off Normandy. French rescue boats shadowed it for about 10 hours, but the French coastguard said stopping it at sea would not have been safe. The vessel reached UK waters around lunchtime.

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French authorities said the departure point was unusual. It was about 170 miles from the launch areas around Calais, making the journey to the UK significantly longer. Local officials told the BBC last year that more people had been trying to depart from Normandy.

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This Government is bearing down on dangerous small boat crossings and restoring control at our border.

The rescue followed talks between Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron on efforts to reduce small-boat crossings. In August, a single boat carrying 230 people successfully crossed the Channel. Although crossings during the summer fell to their lowest level since 2019, smugglers appear to be putting more people onto fewer, larger vessels known as “mega dinghies.”

The Home Office said joint efforts had prevented more than 48,000 crossing attempts and seized 1,100 boats and engines since the election. It said Britain had signed a payment-by-results agreement with France to put 40% more personnel on French beaches. Downing Street also said 45 additional police officers would join a surge team targeting larger dinghies.

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