A boat with 11 migrants on board has been intercepted in the English Channel.

Two Border Force cutters were deployed this morning and one small boat was intercepted. It is understood the vessel was taken to Dover Marina.

HM Coastguard were alerted to two vessels crossing the English Channel at about 5.34am today.

A group of 11 people made up of 10 males and one female were rescued. They have all presented themselves as Iranian.

They will now be medically assessed and transferred to immigration officials for interview.

Further migrant activity was intercepted by French authorities with two small boats returned to France and an intervention resulting in a number of migrants detained and two RHIBs seized.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We will always ensure we have the right resources in place to keep our border secure. A 42-metre Border Force cutter and two coastal patrol vessels are patrolling the Channel and we are monitoring the situation closely over the Christmas and New year period.

“There has also been a doubling of patrols on French beaches and drones, specialist vehicles and detection equipment have been deployed to stop small boats leaving French shores and arriving in the UK illegally."

Since January 2019, more than 125 migrants who entered the UK illegally via small boats have been returned to Europe.

Dozens of migrants were brought ashore from four boats on Boxing Day.

Read more: All the latest news from Dover