Hundreds of people seeking asylum have been found attempting to cross the Channel, officials have revealed.

Border Force teams caught six vessels, containing 212 people, making the perilous journey by sea yesterday, while their French counterparts prevented a further 238 individuals from reaching English shores.

More than 8,400 migrants reached the UK in 2020, with many of them arriving in Kent – but that figure could be eclipsed over the next two months if the numbers seen last summer are repeated.

Clandestine Channel Threat Commander Dan O’Mahoney said: “We are seeing an unacceptable rise in dangerous and unnecessary small boat crossings because illegal migration across Europe has led to a significant increase of migrants in northern France seeking to enter the UK illegally.

“The government continues to target the criminal gangs who are responsible for these illegal crossings at every level with intelligence and surveillance, and the joint work with France means we have doubled the number of police officers on the ground in France who are intercepting the crossings and arresting the gangs behind this trade.”

Record numbers have arrived along the English coast in small boats so far this year, with nearly 6,000 reaching the UK since January.

This comes as the Home Office announced heavier prison sentences for migrants and people smugglers as part of the Nationality and Borders Bill, which is due for its first reading in the House of Commons tomorrow.

The proposed legislation would make it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK without permission, with the maximum sentence for those entering the country unlawfully rising from six months in jail to four years.

The government also wants to increase prison terms for people smugglers, with those found guilty facing life behind bars – up from the current maximum of 14 years.

A clause contained in the legislation will broaden the offence of arriving unlawfully so that it encompasses arrival, as well as entry into the UK.

The Home Office says the plans are part of a bid to prevent “asylum shopping”, as it claims some migrants are “picking the UK” over other countries they have travelled through on their journeys through Europe.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “The Nationality and Borders Bill contains vital measures to fix the UK’s broken asylum system.

“Our new plan for immigration is fair but firm.

“We will welcome people through safe and legal routes whilst preventing abuse of the system, cracking down on illegal entry and the criminality associated with it.”

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