A boat carrying 11 migrants, including two children, have been rescued on the French side of the Channel trying to reach Kent.

The group raised the alarm after their semi-rigid boat was damaged off Calais but could not give their precise location.

The party, which also included a woman, were then found by a helicopter.

The French maritime authority were alerted at 7.30am local time by the regional search and rescue centre at Cap Griz Nez near Calais.

The centre despatched a French navy helicopter from Le Touquet and a police vessel from Dunkirk.

The helicopter found the boat at 8.50am and the rescue vessel towed it to Dunkirk where the migrants were handed over to border police.

Details were released by the maritime authority, which has warned migrants the Channel is one of the busiest seaways in the world their attempts to cross it is risking their lives.

A total 27 migrants in one boat were also picked up yesterday by rescuers on the British side of the Channel.

Attempts by migrants to cross the Channel to reach Britain have doubled in seven months compared with last year.

There have been 1,151 attempts this year compared to 562 in 2018.

Nearly all have involved migrants trying to reach Britain on small craft.

In some cases there have been landings at Dover, Kingsdown near Deal, Folkestone, and Romney Marsh.

Read more: All the latest news from Deal

Read more: All the latest news from Dover

Read more: All the latest news from Folkestone

Read more: All the latest news from Romney Marsh