Cross-Channel migrant numbers double in year
NUMBERS of migrants crossing the English Channel have almost doubled so far in 2021.
Numbers of migrants crossing the English Channel have doubled
More than 3,100 people have made the perilous journey to the UK compared with 1,600 at the same time last year, according to analysis by the PA news agency.
Crossings have spiked since March last year because of Covid-19 travel restrictions and increased border security, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA). Criminal gangs are using bigger boats - targeting small ports away from the busy Dover Strait.
Those trying to enter the UK hidden in vehicles on ferries or aboard flights fell in 2020 but returned to pre-lockdown levels in the final weeks of the year, the NCA said.