Nearly 400 asylum seekers have been intercepted at sea over two days.

The Home Office says that on Wednesday and yesterday French authorities stopped nine crossings, preventing 171 people reaching Britain.

It said that UK authorities had to deal with eight events yesterday involving 201 people.

It added that there had been a HM Coastguard search and rescue operation yesterday near Hastings and all occupants on board a small boat were accounted for.

Meanwhile locals in Romney Marsh that day reported seeing two groups of asylum seekers, with police and officials on the beaches at Dymchurch and Dungeness.

Those at Dymchurch were seen at 11.30am yesterday and locals said there were about 20 with women and two children,

Another 20 or so were observed at Dungeness three hours later.

Locals at Dover say the first couple of boatloads of people rescued at sea were brought by the Border Force to Dover Western Docks as early as 6am.

Yesterday's activity happened on the day the High Court ruled the Home Secretary acted unlawfully in housing asylum seekers at the former military camp Napier Barracks in Folkestone.

Read more: All the latest news from Romney Marsh