More than 1,500 small boat migrants have crossed the English Channel in just over a week

More than 1,500 small boat migrants have crossed the English Channel in just over a week, GB News can reveal, after several more boats were intercepted in UK waters today.

A boat load of around 70 migrants were taken to Dover harbor in the early hours this morning.

Around 8am, the Dover lifeboat arrived in harbor with another 68 people on board.

So far today, around 250 people have been taken to the Border Force migrant processing centre in Dover.

By lunchtime, GB News Kent Producer confirmed that at least four other small boats were still in the English Channel, heading towards UK waters.

Official figures for yesterday reveal that 268 migrants arrived in the UK on five small boats.

Including today's arrivals, GB News can now reveal that 1,550 people have made the illegal crossing from France in the past eight days.

The number of migrants arriving has now hit a new record high for the first four months of a calendar year, jumping 27 per cent on 2023.

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Including those who have arrived so far today, more than 7,800 people made the journey from January to April.

This is 27 per cent higher than the number of arrivals recorded in the first four months of last year (5,946) and an increase of 13 per cent compared to figures logged for the same period in 2022 (6,691).

Almost 2,400 people made the journey in 47 boats in April, suggesting an average of more than 50 people per boat last month.

This is higher than the average for March – 48 people per boat – but lower than the peak of 56 people per boat in September 2023.

The figures come as the National Crime Agency said a fourth man had been arrested on suspicion of immigration offences after five migrants, including a seven year old girl, died last week while trying to cross the Channel.