A total of 142 asylum seekers crossed the Channel to the UK in two boats following a break of five days without any crossings.

The latest arrivals on Friday October 11 come after four people, including a two-year-old boy, died after two boats got into trouble off the coast of France on Saturday October 5.

The fatal incidents came on the same day as 973 people crossed in 17 small boats – the biggest daily number this year.

According to Home Office figures, 26,754 people have crossed the Channel in small boats compared to 25,931 by the same date last year and 35,688 in 2022.

A Home Office spokesman said: “We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security.

“As we have seen with so many recent devastating tragedies in the Channel, the people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay.

“We will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.

“We are making progress, bolstering our personnel numbers in the UK and abroad.

“Our new Border Security Command will strengthen our global partnerships and enhance our efforts to investigate, arrest, and prosecute these evil criminals.”