The RNLI has shared dramatic footage of a crew rescuing 19 migrants from a capsized boat in the Channel - as the charity hit back at claims it acts like a 'taxi service' for illegal entrants.
Footage shows a group of screaming men thrashing around in the sea as RNLI volunteers throw mini life jackets - known as horseshoes - in their direction.
The migrants - who are wearing little more than t-shirts - are then seen clambering up the side of the boat before being hauled aboard.
One crew member, Dan Sinclair, said in the video: 'These people genuinely need our help. They are in distress. They have been in this situation for potentially hours on end and have become frozen - almost paralysed in position.'
The RNLI released the footage - filmed at 4.50am in August 2023 - as it defended its 'compassionate' small boat rescues, adding that the 114 it carried out last year amounted to just 1.2 per cent of total launches and led to 58 lives being saved.
