Top News:20 suspected migrants intercepted in the English Channel

At least 20 suspected migrants have been brought ashore in Dover in the early hours of Tuesday.

Interior minister Priti Patel met her French counterpart in Paris last month, when they agreed “to deploy more resources along the French coast to intercept and stop crossings,” her department said. “We are working closely at all levels with the French authorities to tackle this dangerous and illegal activity,” an interior ministry spokeswoman said Tuesday.

A British patrol boat are attended the incident

Border force cutters are patrolling the Channel while equipment including drones, CCTV and night vision goggles are in use. “Crossing the Channel in a small boat is a huge risk. The criminal gangs who perpetuate this are ruthless and do not care about loss of life,” the spokeswoman added. The Home Office has been approached for comment.

There has been a surge in migrants crossing the Channel in small boats since the end of last year, which the government has previously described as a “major incident”. Last month, Border Force officials intercepted four boats in one day carrying 39 Iranian migrants who were attempting to cross the Channel to the UK. The Home Office said all of those people were taken to Dover where they were medically assessed before being interviewed by immigration officials.

Millions of pounds has been spent by the Home Office in an effort to stop the crossings, but they continued to surge and reached record numbers in the summer. In August, 336 migrants made it into Britain – including 86 in one day – while a woman drowned after falling overboard during a crossing. Her body was found on Dutch waters weeks after the incident.

The Home Office has refused to say how many migrants have made the journey over the last year.