A rescue operation is underway after a migrant boat carrying up to 50 people ran aground on a sandbank off the Kent coast.

A coastguard helicopter and several lifeboats are involved in the rescue on Goodwin sands, off the coast at Deal.

The 10 mile long sandbank is a notorious shipping hazard that has led to the loss of many lives and vessels over the years.

GB News has been told that a large group of migrants have left their boat and are now standing on the sandbank waiting to be rescued.

The RNLI are using small rigid inflatable craft to get to the sandbank and relay those rescued to bigger lifeboats, anchored nearby.

The rescuers are in a race against time, as the tide is turning and much of the sandbank will be underwater again.

The stranded boat is one of four small migrant boats which have crossed to UK waters this morning.

More to follow...