More than 800 people cross Channel in record for December
More than 800 people crossed the English Channel in small boats, believed to be a record number for one day in December.
Latest official figures showed 803 people embarked on the perilous journey on 13 boats from northern France yesterday. This brings the total number of Channel crossings in 2025 to 41,455; This is the second-highest figure since data collection began in 2018, surpassed only by the record of 45,774 in 2022.
Saturday saw the highest number of people traveling in a single day since October 8, when 1,075 people crossed.
About 2,163 people have arrived so far this month, approaching the record of 3,254 reported last December.
A Border Force ship was seen bringing people thought to be migrants to Dover after an incident in the Channel on Saturday morning.
It was a busy night that saw many boats leaving the French coast.
French police clashed with people trying to launch a small boat near Calais early on Saturday morning.
In the video, the gendarmerie is seen firing tear gas into a crowd of about 30 migrants on the riverbank in the town of Grand-Fort-Philippe.
The unexpected increase follows a four-week lull in which the Home Office recorded no passes between November 15 and December 12.
December is traditionally one of the quietest months for startups due to adverse weather conditions.
However, this pause marked the longest uninterrupted period without arrivals since 2018.
Broader trends show arrivals increased in the first 10 months of this year but remain below record levels reported in 2022.
The Labor government has stepped up efforts to combat the arrival of small boats by cooperating with European countries.
France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the Channel after months of pressure from Britain.
The policy change means security forces can only stop boats at sea before they pick up passengers.
Germany this week passed a new law under which people smugglers trying to bring immigrants to the UK could face up to 10 years in prison.
The change in law, which will come into force before the end of the year, aims to give more powers to law enforcement forces and prosecutors and increase information sharing between the UK and Germany.
