Border Force officers have reportedly seized a yacht following an incident in the Channel.

The government agency’s Hurricane vessel was seen towing the small boat into Dover today before securing it in the harbour.

Since crossings tend to be attempted in dinghies, the use of a yacht is unusual.

The vessel also brought an unknown number of asylum seekers into the port and it is understood those attempting the crossing today are believed to number in the low hundreds.

Some 1,157 people have been rescued from the Channel since Monday after setting out in small boats, while two have died making the crossing in the same period.

Another four people died in the Channel the previous week as a spell of good weather saw the number of crossings increase.

Home Office figures show 413 crossed the Channel in seven small boats yesterday, bringing the total for the year so far to 15,489.

“We all want to see an end to dangerous Channel crossings, which are undermining border security and putting lives at risk...”

This is about 10% higher than the number of crossings seen by the same point last year and 0.1% more than the number for the same period in 2022, so far the year with the most crossings on record.

A spokesman for the Home Office said: “We all want to see an end to dangerous Channel crossings, which are undermining border security and putting lives at risk.

“The new government is taking steps to boost our border security, setting up a new Border Security Command which will bring together our intelligence and enforcement agencies, equipped with new counter-terror-style powers and hundreds of personnel stationed in the UK and overseas, to smash the criminal smuggling gangs making millions in profit.”