More than 700 small boat migrants reach Britain in a single day, breaking record for this year

By DAVID BARRETT, HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR Published: 14:31, 16 June 2026 | Updated: 14:35, 16 June 2026 More than 700 migrants have arrived across the Channel in just one day - the highest level seen so far this year. The Home Office confirmed 710 migrants arrived from northern France on Monday. They were picked up mid-Channel from 11 dinghies and brought into Dover by UK Border Force. The previous highest daily total for 2026 was 610 on February 25. Monday's tally was also the largest since December 20 last year, when 803 arrived.  The highest daily total ever recorded remains 1,305 seen on a day in September 2022. The latest crossings came after a full two weeks with no arrivals at all. French rescuers used a buoyancy aid to help save migrants who got into trouble trying to cross the Channel on Monday. A member of the French fire service uses a buoyancy aid to rescue migrants from the water off the coast of Berck, France, after a failed attempt to board a small boat on Monday A group of around 40 men and children were attempting to wade out to an inflatable off the coast of Calais. Some quickly became submerged and needed assistance from the French fire service and a lifeboat. Migrants board a small boat off the coast of Berck, France, during an attempt to cross the English Channel on Monday Police used pepper spray to corral the group, while some had to be pursued in vehicles after they fled. The dinghy was forced to leave without picking up anyone and a number of migrants were arrested. Migrants wade into the sea off Berck, France, to reach an inflatable bound for Britain on Monday A total of 9,852 migrants have arrived so far this year compared with 16,545 in the same period last year. Rough seas in the Channel appear to have played a role in reducing this year's running total.  Your browser does not support iframes. It comes despite a £660million three-year deal with the French government to increase beach patrols. Signed by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood in April it includes an unconditional £500million to pay for beach patrols in France, plus £160million in performance-related funding.  Alp Mehmet, chairman of charity Migration Watch UK, said French authorities have appeared to lack the motivation needed to prevent crossings. 'We have given the French around three-quarters of a billion pounds since 2014/15 to stop illegal migrants,' he said. 'We deserve a refund.' Alex Norris, minister for border security and asylum, said: 'Our work with France is cracking down on small boat launches and stopping the criminal smuggling gangs in their tracks.' Border security commander Charlie Eastaugh, of the Home Office Small Boats Command, said: 'Thanks to the excellent co-operation between the UK and France, for the first time ever French law enforcement officers are carrying out operations against small boats at sea.' Last week, Sudanese asylum seeker Alnour Mohamed Ali, 26, was jailed for two years and three months after being caught in charge of a dangerously overcrowded small boat bound for Britain. Shocking drone footage seen in court showed French authorities handing out life jackets to the migrants on board the boat but failing to intervene. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.