Asylum seekers arrived at Walmer Beach this morning in one of six incidents reported today.

Their inflatable boat was captured on camera and a group were seen sitting on a bench on Walmer Green near Deal this morning, prompting police to attend.

The people, of varying ages and genders, were seen near Sea Cafe on the Green at about 8am.

A police patrol car was parked nearby on The Beach and two others were parked further down Dover Road opposite Deal Castle.

The video, supplied by onlooker Korina Jones, shows an inflatable boat in the water off shingle beach. It is being paddled back out to sea by two people.

A patrol vessel is beside it and it appears to follow the inflatable when it moves past it.

A Kent Police spokesman said: "Police were called to assist Border Force and HM Coastguard at 6.45am on Monday, November 9 following a report of suspected migrants seen near Kingsdown Road, Walmer."

The incident was one of six dealt with by Border Force today, involving 80 people.

French authorities prevented approximately 50 people from making the crossing today.

Minister for Immigration Compliance and the Courts Chris Philp said: “These crossings are facilitated by callous criminals who are breaking our laws by smuggling people illegally across the Channel. France is a safe country where they should be claiming asylum.

“We are relentless in our pursuit of these dangerous offenders who are putting lives at risk. In the last two weeks alone five people smugglers have been jailed, with more investigations under way and more arrests planned.”

Read more: All the latest news from Deal