A baby without socks or shoes is among the people to have crossed the Channel to Dover today in temperatures close to freezing.

A number of people seeking asylum, including a family of four, are reported to have arrived this morning.

There are thought to have been at least five children who made the treacherous trip from France - one which Home Secretary Priti Patel has said for months she wanted to make "unviable".

They were spotted at the Port of Dover in a Border Force vessel, along with a group of adults. A Home Office spokesman said it was one of five incidents dealt with by UK authorities today, involving a total of 111 people.

It comes just days after the number of officers patrolling French beaches was due to double as part of a new agreement reached by Ms Patel and her French counterpart.

From Tuesday, December 1, the extra Gendarmes were brought in to target 150km of coastline known to be used by people smugglers.

It was hoped they would help improve how quickly they could respond to reports of suspicious activity, stopping people leaving French beaches in the first place.

'Thanks to more police patrols on French beaches and enhanced intelligence sharing between our security and law enforcement agencies, we are already seeing fewer migrants leaving French beaches...'

The agreement also included an enhanced package of state-of-the-art surveillance technology - including drones, radar equipment, optronic binoculars and fixed cameras.

Ms Patel said: "Thanks to more police patrols on French beaches and enhanced intelligence sharing between our security and law enforcement agencies, we are already seeing fewer migrants leaving French beaches.

“The actions we have agreed jointly go further, doubling the number of police officers on the ground in France, increasing surveillance and introducing new cutting edge technology, representing a further step forward in our shared mission to make channel crossings completely unviable.

“On top of these new operational plans, we will introduce a new asylum system that is firm and fair, and I will bring forward new legislation next year to deliver on that commitment.”

The measures agreed also include steps to support people into appropriate accommodation in France to take them out of the hands of criminal gangs and continued support for accommodation centres where people can be supported and advised on claiming asylum.

There will also be increased border security at ports in northern and western France to reduce chances for smuggling and ensure that people do not shift back towards attempting to cross via lorries.

The Home Office says the proportion of crossings intercepted and prevented has risen from 41% in 2019 to 60% in recent weeks.

A new Joint Intelligence Cell, which opened in July, had helped secure about 140 arrests and prevent about 1,100 crossings, it added.

Immigration Enforcement has convicted 57 individuals for people smuggling, including those convicted of facilitating small boats Channel crossings, resulting in sentencing of over 138 years.

A further 46 people have been convicted of offences related to the small boat crossings.

Clandestine Channel Threat Commander Dan O’Mahoney said: “France is a safe country with a well-functioning asylum system.

"People should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach and not risk their lives making a dangerous and illegally-facilitated crossing.

“We continue to work closely with the French following our agreement to take further action to tackle illegal migration, through increasing police patrols and surveillance.

"In the last 10 days the French authorities have prevented more than 450 people from attempting the crossing and today have prevented a further 35 making the journey.”

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