Five illegal migrants have been detained after being caught trying to sneak into the UK.
Migrant crossings (Image: Getty)
Illegal immigrants have been detained on the Kent coastline just days after the Home Office warned criminals gangs were adapting to police crackdowns.
It comes after it was reported people smugglers were even facing delays getting boats and engines to safehouses because of the war in the Middle East.
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Analysts believed that pressure has grown on traffickers’ supply chains, which has been fuelled by crackdowns on the continent.
Yet despite this a boat was able to make the dangerous sea crossing this morning, leaving at least five people on the coastline.
Kent Police said they had been made aware by the Coastguard of an “incident” involving the vessel at 9.26am Monday morning.
A spokesman said: “Patrols attended and five people were detained and passed to Border Security Command officers.”
A Home Office spokesperson described the incident as “isolated and rare”, praising officers for responding quickly.
They added: “There is an ongoing investigation and it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
In the first six months of 2026, the number of people arriving in the UK by small boat fell 41% and the number of boats 47% compared to the previous year.
The number of arrests linked to organised immigration crime in the year to the end of April 2026 rose by more than 55%, and since late 2023, more than 1,600 boats or engines have been seized.
Since 2021, around 40,000 posts, pages or accounts linked to people smuggling have also been removed from social media.
Around 140 migrants were brought into Portsmouth last Sunday after smugglers launched a dinghy from a beach in the Cherbourg area.
This prompted fears the Channel crisis was entering a terrifying new phase, which could see arrivals brought into different towns along the south coast.
It prompted warnings of an “invasion” of other coastal towns, such as Brighton, Southampton or Weymouth as smugglers change their tactics to exploit weak points in the border.
Andy Burnham urged to set up ‘war register’ of civilian volunteers as WW3 fears explode
Andy Burnham has been urged to establish a civilian volunteer register in case Britain comes under attack.
Andy Burnham has been urged to establish an emergency register (Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham has been urged to establish an emergency register of civilian volunteers who could be called upon if Britain comes under attack. The Liberal Democrats have called for the creation of a formal network of civilians willing to assist in the event of a major emergency or attack on the UK. The party’s defence spokesperson said the UK “urgently” needed this network and also called on politicians to be “more direct” with the public concerning the dangers facing the UK.
The proposed register would allow people to voluntarily put their names forward to help during a crisis. A Liberal Democrat spokesperson said: “Countries like Finland and others already have these kind of registers out there, and I think it’s something a lot of people would be very willing to sign up to if we gave them the option.” The proposal comes as NATO continues to strengthen its defences along its eastern flank, while senior European figures have warned that Russia‘s increasingly confrontational actions could create further risks for NATO members.
The spokesperson said other countries have these kind of registers (Image: Getty)
The Liberal Democrats have also argued for the creation of a new position of Civilian Readiness Secretary saying the UK should do more to organise non-military resources before a crisis develops.
The proposal comes against a backdrop of heightened concern across Europe about Russia’s actions. NATO says Russia’s war against Ukraine and hostile activities affecting Allied countries have changed Europe’s security environment.
French President Emmanuel Macron has also warned that the threat of attacks by Russia against Europe and France has intensified.
Macron said last week: “In recent weeks, the threat — particularly the Russian hybrid threat — facing Europeans and France has intensified.”