Hundreds of migrants cross Channel after hiatus

Some 494 migrants arrived in the UK on Thursday, the first to successfully cross the Channel in 10 days.Dinghies arrived in British waters late into the night, with people pictured being brought into the Border Security Command compound in Dover, Kent, wearing lifejackets.The seven boats that made the crossing were the first since August 17 when 250 people arrived.The total number is down overall this year according to Press Association analysis of Government data.A boat used by people thought to be migrants on the quayside at the Border Security Command compound in Dover, Kent (Gareth Fuller/PA)PA WireSome 16,391 migrants have crossed the Channel so far, down 43% on the same time last year, and a 17% drop from the same point in 2024.Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said she will not be “complacent” about the falling numbers, and that there is “more we must do”.“That is why I have boosted enforcement on the French beaches and overseas and introduced new legislation to tackle the pull factors that draw people here through unsafe and illegal routes,” she added.