See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy DAVID BARRETT, HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR Published: 14:31 BST, 16 June 2026 | Updated: 14:35 BST, 16 June 2026
More than 700 migrants have arrived across the Channel in just one day - the highest level seen so far this year.The Home Office confirmed 710 migrants arrived from northern France on Monday.They were picked up mid-Channel from 11 dinghies and brought into Dover by UK Border Force.The previous highest daily total for 2026 was 610 on February 25.Monday's tally was also the largest since December 20 last year, when 803 arrived. The highest daily total ever recorded remains 1,305 seen on a day in September 2022.The latest crossings came after a full two weeks with no arrivals at all.French rescuers used a buoyancy aid to help save migrants who got into trouble trying to cross the Channel on Monday. A member of the French fire service uses a buoyancy aid to rescue migrants from the water off the coast of Berck, France, after a failed attempt to board a small boat on MondayA group of around 40 men and children were attempting to wade out to an inflatable off the coast of Calais.Some quickly became submerged and needed assistance from the French fire service and a lifeboat. Migrants board a small boat off the coast of Berck, France, during an attempt to cross the English Channel on MondayPolice used pepper spray to corral the group, while some had to be pursued in vehicles after they fled.The dinghy was forced to leave without picking up anyone and a number of migrants were arrested. Migrants wade into the sea off Berck, France, to reach an inflatable bound for Britain on MondayA total of 9,852 migrants have arrived so far this year compared with 16,545 in the same period last year.Rough seas in the Channel appear to have played a role in reducing this year's running total.
