At least 409 migrants have reached UK shores in small boats crossing the Channel, a new record for a single day.

Scores of people took advantage of flat seas in the Dover Strait on Wednesday. Hundreds of migrants were intercepted on the water, while others managed to land on beaches.

Wednesday’s record total surpasses the previous high of 235, set on 6 August.
It brings the total number of migrants who have crossed the sea to Britain in 2020 to more than 5,600, analysis by the PA news agency shows.

Balmy sunshine and crystal-clear conditions meant that France was clearly visible from Dover throughout the day. Large numbers of migrants were seen being brought into the Kent port, packed aboard Border Force patrol vessels and sitting on the front of lifeboats.

The numbers arriving were so high that dozens of migrants spent an hour sitting on Border Force boats in the harbour before they were allowed to disembark. Meanwhile, a series of empty dinghies were towed in from the Channel.

On Wednesday evening, the Home Office confirmed that at least 409 migrants had reached the UK by small boat. More incidents were ongoing and that number could yet be revised up.

It comes as the government was accused of “lacking in compassion and competence” after ministers said people fleeing war and poverty in their homelands would not be offered safe and lawful routes to the UK from mainland Europe.

A succession of Conservative MPs lined up in the Commons on Wednesday to accuse those seeking refuge in the UK of “asylum shopping” and “queue jumping”. Boris Johnson told prime minister’s questions that the UK was a “target and magnet” for people traffickers and vowed to change the law to help tackle the crisis.

Opposition MPs criticised the government’s approach. The shadow home secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said: “The approach being pursued by the Conservatives is lacking in compassion and competence, concentrating on trying to sound tough rather than find a solution and save lives.”