Woman and baby rescued as more suspected migrant boats intercepted in Channel

A woman and a baby were among 32 suspected migrants rescued from the English Channel.

Four small inflatable boats were intercepted by Border Force vessels and towed to Dover’s port on Tuesday morning.

Sky News filmed the third boat being brought ashore and a woman could be seen carrying a baby.

She and the child, along with the rest of the group, were taken to a Home Office facility.

People on two of the boats were seen being escorted to shore at around 8am, closely followed by a third.

The migrants presented themselves as Iraqi and Iranian nationals.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “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.

“We have Border Force cutters patrolling the Channel and equipment including drones, CCTV and night vision goggles in use to identify and tackle this dangerous and illegal activity.

“The home secretary is in discussions with the French authorities about this issue and we continue to work closely at all levels with France.”

The Dover coastguard has confirmed they were called out to assist a Border Force operation, but refused to comment further.

A similar number of people were rescued in almost identical circumstances on Monday.

This latest crossing follows a fresh wave of attempts by migrants to travel from France to the UK in small boats in what the local MP has called a “summer of chaos on the English Channel”.

Responding to the latest incident, Dover and Deal MP Charlie Elphicke said: “It will only end when migrants and traffickers alike know the crossings won’t succeed.”

He called on French authorities to “get a grip and stop people setting off from France – before there is another tragedy in the Channel”.

“There also needs to be 24/7 surveillance of the French coast – so boats are spotted, intercepted and returned carefully and safely back,” the MP added.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has given officials 72 hours to come up with an emergency plan to deal with the issue ahead of bilateral talks with her French counterpart on Thursday, the Daily Mail said, quoting sources close to her.

Options include sending more Border Force officials to France, ramping up technological efforts to detect migrants or sending more boats to patrol the Channel.

On Friday, Boris Johnson warned illegal migrants that they would be sent back if they risked crossing the Channel.

“If you come illegally, you are an illegal immigrant and I’m afraid the law will treat you as such,” he said.

The Home Office said that on Thursday officials dealt with 64 people, including at least six children, who tried to reach the south coast of England on small boats.

A further 30 migrants were picked up by French authorities on the same day and escorted back to the continent.

The next morning, another 35 suspected migrants were intercepted on both sides of the Channel.

(c) Sky News 2019: Woman and baby rescued as more suspected migrant boats intercepted in Channel