More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Five children were among those brought to Dover today having made the journey from France in a small boat.
Four toddlers wrapped in hooded jackets and a baby being carried in an adult’s arms were seen arriving at the Kent port.
Crossings of the perilous Dover Strait in small boats resumed today for the first time in more than two weeks, following a spate of poor conditions in the Channel.
A child’s cries were heard as they were helped ashore from a Border Force boat by immigration officials.
They were led up a gangway by staff and taken to the Home Office facility on the quayside.
The Home Office has repeatedly vowed to make the journey across the English Channel “unviable” but the number of crossings has continued to rise.
More than 12,400 people have now taken the perilous trip to the UK this year, data compiled by the PA news agency shows.
Crossings in 2021 have already eclipsed last year’s annual total of 8,417 and that tally continues to rise.
Like many routes taken by those seeking asylum, the journeys of some people trying to cross the Channel in small boats have ended in tragedy.
Since the beginning of 2019, more than a dozen people have died or gone missing.
It comes as the Home Office has announced it will extend its use of Napier Barracks in Folkestone for another four years.
The army barracks were turned into accommodation for men seeking asylum in the UK in September last year.
It was originally intended to be used for a 12-month period but it will remain open until 2025.
The site has been plagued with issues ever since it opened, including protests, Covid-19 outbreaks, arrests and a fire.
