More than 300 migrants reached Britain on 27 small boats on Friday, with dozens of people landing on beaches, The arrival of 319 more people takes the year’s total beyond 6,000 – three times as many as last year. It is understood at least 73 people reached the shores of Kent, with many landing at Kingsdown, near Deal, while a group of 33 arrived on a huge green inflatable boat around 9am. Sea conditions are said to have been ideal for making the perilous journey across the Dover Strait – the world’s busiest shipping lane – with good visibility, although it was very cold. Lifeboats from Dover, Dungeness and Walmer had been launched to support Border Force officers. Police tracked down “a number of suspected migrants” at Kingsdown.
