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Nearly 500 migrants have arrived in the UK in one day, in the first boats to successfully cross the Channel in 10 days.
The BBC reports that the seven vessels that made the crossing were the first since 17 August, when 250 people arrived in the UK.
Dinghies arrived in British waters until late Thursday night. 494 people were taken into the Border Security Command compound in Dover, Kent.
The total number is down overall this year, according to BBC Verify analysis of government data.
Some 16,391 migrants have crossed the Channel so far, down 43% on the same time last year, and a 17% drop from the same point in 2024.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said she will not be “complacent” about the falling numbers, and that there is “more we must do”.
“That is why I have boosted enforcement on the French beaches and overseas and introduced new legislation to tackle the pull factors that draw people here through unsafe and illegal routes,” she added.
