ANOTHER boatload of illegal migrants cross Channel with more seen preparing to launch from France

A fresh boatload of illegal migrants have crossing the English Channel this morning - with more already seen massing on the beaches of northern France.

Around 70 migrants arrived in Dover this morning on a dinghy, GB News can reveal.

Meanwhile, further "asylum seekers" have been seen massing in Dunkirk, to the east of Calais on France's north coast.

The first boat left for Britain from near Calais between 2am and 3am this morning.

TRENDING

Stories

Videos

Your Say

It then sailed past the French navy to the halfway point in the Channel, where it was intercepted by the British Border Force vessel BSC Courageous.

****That dinghy was intercepted at around 5am - and is understood to have arrived in Dover shortly after 6am.

Further images obtained by Britain's News Channel from Dunkirk today show migrants wading out into the water to board a "taxi boat".

Taxi boats travel along the beaches of France, picking up passengers before then making the crossing towards the Kent coast.

The vessels use this method to stop French police trying to slash them.

Once the taxi boats are in the water, they are harder for police to stop.

Under current French guidelines, officers can stop boats leaving the beach by puncturing them, but are not allowed to wade out unless the migrants call for help.

The early morning tally of 50 is set to bring the total number of Bank Holiday weekend arrivals to around 950.

If any more small boats cross to the South Coast today, that number could smash the 1,000 mark.

BRITAIN'S MIGRANT HELL - READ MORE:

• Hundreds of thousands of migrants flood to claim UK citizenship before 'Boriswave' loophole closes
• Priti Patel challenged on Labour net migration win as she refuses to disown the Boriswave
• ‘Many hundreds’ of migrants to cross Channel in just days, former chief border inspector predicts

Yesterday's arrivals brought the total figure since Friday up to 903, and sparked fears that more vessels could attempt the crossing this week as hot weather is expected to continue.

Temperatures reached 32.3C at Kew Gardens in southwest London on Sunday, with the capital feeling the heat in a remarkably warm weekend.

The Met Office has said heatwave conditions were met in eight parts of England, stretching from Suffolk to south London.

As well as more boats, migrants and people-smugglers are finding more launch locations.

Belgium has emerged as a significant new starting point for migrants, with more than 20 vessels departing from West Flanders beaches in April.

But in Belgium, authorities have shed light on a chilling phenomenon: "violent" ex-soldiers from countries such as Iraq or Afghanistan assembling on the coast.

A growing number of military men have been spotted "accompanying" the boats, making it too dangerous for police to intervene, local force chief Nicholas Paelinck revealed just days ago.

Police have also found "weapons of war and ammunition" in migrant tent camps.

They say it is "only a matter of time" before officers are confronted.

And Ostend police chief Hannelore Hochepied told Belgian MPs it will only get more difficult, with summer a "very busy period" for his men.

Former border inspector John Vine told GB News the soldiers posed a "very serious threat".

"If some of them are armed, [police] should be immediately calling for armed support for officers to actually do their job in Belgium," he said.

"They need to tackle it now before it becomes something that becomes a routine part of the smuggling gangs' operation."

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter