Coastguard and Border Force find nine boats carrying suspected migrants off Kent coast
13:42, 01 June 2019
updated: 17:08, 01 June 2019
Nine boast carrying suspected migrants have been discovered off the Kent coast this morning, KentOnline understands.
The Coastguard has confirmed it has been assisting Border Force officials with the incidents.
The operations have also involved RNLI lifeboats from Dover, Dungeness and Rye in East Sussex.
The Coastguard initially stated it had been called to 13 incidents, but now says nine vessels were found off the Kent coast.
A spokesman said: "We have been assisting Border Force with nine incidents off the Kent coast this morning.
"The following assets have been involved: Border Force vessels; Dover, Dungeness and Rye RNLI lifeboats; and Folkestone, Langdon, Rye Bay coastguard rescue teams."
This follows the discovery of as many as eight boats near the border of Kent and East Sussex at Winchelsea Beach this morning.
Charlie Elphicke, the MP for Dover and Deal, believes that, if confirmed, "this would be a record number of boats arriving in a single day".
He added: "This crisis was meant to have been dealt with at Christmas, yet numbers continue to rise.
"It looks set to surge to record levels through the summer. The Home Office needs to get a grip on this crisis.
"This is about much more than simply border security.
"It is about the exploitation of vulnerable people by criminal trafficking gangs - gangs that Britian and France must work together to catch and bring to justice.
"These journeys are also incredibly dangerous. Overcrowded boats with men, women & children aboard.
"The risk of a tragedy in the middle of the English Channel resulting in loss of life is very real.
"This is why the Home Office and France must act now to bring this crisis to an end."
