A total of 960 people in 20 small boats crossed the Channel to the UK on Saturday and the number of arrivals in 2022 looks set to exceed last year’s tally, according to Ministry of Defence figures.

The number of people to have made the crossing so far this year now exceeds 26,000.

Overall, 28,526 people made the crossing in 2021.

People arriving on beach
A group of people thought to be migrants walk ashore in Dungeness, Kent, after being intercepted by the RNLI in a small boat incident in the Channel (Gareth Fuller/PA)

On Friday, 221 people in five small boats crossed to the UK, the MoD said.

A baby dressed in pyjamas and wearing a life vest was among those to have made the crossing on Friday, along with several groups of men and another young boy wrapped in a blanket.

August was the highest monthly total on record for crossings, with 8,644 people making the journey on 189 boats.