Nearly 400 asylum seekers reached the UK in 12 small vessels.

And another 162 people were stopped getting across by the French.

A Home Office spokesman said that UK authorities had to rescue or intercept 386 people in 12 events yesterday (Monday).

French authorities stopped 162 people getting across in six incidents yesterday and one on Sunday.

Last Tuesday, March 22, the Home Office said UK authorities had to rescue or intercept 394 people in 11 instances.

That day the French intercepted at least 10 attempts, stopping 467 people from reaching the UK.

Asylum seekers rescued by the British are usually first brought to Dover Western Docks and then taken for further processing at Manston.

Tom Pursglove Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration, said: “The rise in dangerous Channel crossings is unacceptable.

"Not only are they an overt abuse of our immigration laws but they also impact on the UK taxpayer, risk lives and our ability to help refugees come to the UK via safe and legal routes.

"Rightly, the British public has had enough.

“Through our Nationality and Borders Bill, we’re cracking down on people smugglers and fixing the broken system by making it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK illegally and introducing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for those who facilitate illegal entry into our country.”