More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Border Force officials are bracing themselves for yet more attempts by migrants to cross the Channel as the good weather continues, while political pressure grows for action to stop them entering the UK.
Steps currently being considered include calling the Royal Navy in to patrol the waters.
More than 500 migrants arrived in the UK after taking the perilous trip across the world's busiest shipping lane over the last three days.
A further 151 arrived on Saturday and with the good weather meaning calmer conditions between England and France, the number of attempts are expected to increase.
Individuals wearing blankets and lifejackets were seen arriving in Dover aboard a Border Force boat on Saturday afternoon, while others were reported to have landed on Kent beaches.
There was even one report of someone making the dangerous crossing in a wheelchair.
It comes as Home Secretary Priti Patel appointed a former Royal Marine to the role of “clandestine Channel threat commander”.
Her Home Office has been accused of having “lost control” after a new single-day record for migrant crossings was set on Thursday.
The Home Office has now made a formal request for support from the Royal Navy to deal with migrants attempting to cross the English Channel in small boats.
Ben Bano from migrant welfare charity Seeking Sanctuary said: "Its not surprising that so many people, including children are coming across the Channel in these flimsy and dangerous boats.
"The conditions for hundreds of people in Calais are appalling, with daily clearances by the police and no access to water and sanitation during this heatwave.
"This is a situation in which the traffickers who exploit vulnerable people can thrive.
"This situation would stop if the British and French authorities work to create safe and legal ways to claim asylum in the UK.
"It cannot be right that people make dangerous trips in order to exercise their legal right to claim asylum once in UK territorial waters."
