A man has been arrested after nine people were picked up in a boat in the English Channel today.

The men in a small boat were brought to Dover after Border Force were alerted at about 10.30am by the French authorities.

A Home Office spokesman said: "HMC Vigilant and coastal patrol vessel Alert were deployed to intercept and took nine people, all men, on board.

The migrants being brought back to shore

"The group was landed at Dover and the men were checked by paramedics. No medical issues were identified."

Eight of the group, who are thought to be Iranian, were transferred to immigration officials for interview.

The ninth was arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal entry to the UK.

The investigation is being dealt with by immigration enforcement criminal and financial investigation officers.

The alert was put out just as Home Secretary Sajid Javid was giving evidence about the migrant crisis to the home affairs select committee in Parliament this morning.

He had to apologise to MPs after he failed to provide the committee with details of the number of boats carrying would-be migrants picked up in the Channel.

It is the fifth such incident in four successive days.

A tally by KentOnline counts this as the net 40th migrant arrival via small boat to Britain, now involving a total 344 people.

This is since November 8 and includes those who have landed by themselves and those rescued and brought in by British authorities.

The gross figure since then is now 423 people in 49 cases, which also includes those stopped by French authorities and brought back to France.