A record-breaking total of 90 migrants were stopped crossing the English Channel on Thursday, according to the Home Office.
That total does not even include those stopped by French authorities, who say a number of people were detained.
UK authorities came to the aid of five inflatable boats, with the coastguard and Border Force taking part in rescue operations.
Dover MP Natalie Elphicke said that a “fresh approach” to dealing with the crossings is necessary, proposing that migrants are returned to France regardless of whether they crossed far enough to enter British waters.
The trip is always fraught with danger due to the Channel being the busiest shipping lane in the world, but at this time of year it is particularly perilous due to sub-zero temperatures. Emergency services were seen treating women and children on the beach where the boats had landed.
A total of 90 migrants were intercepted on Thursday, with 15 being children. Those detained claimed a range of nationalities, including Senegalese, Malian, Guinean, Syrian, Yemeni, Egyptian, Iranian, and Iraqi.
Five boats were intercepted between 2:15am and 11:20am on on the 6th of February.
Border Force officers also detained five suspected migrants near Shakespeare Beach, near Dover, while a further five were detained by Kent Police in Dover town centre.
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