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Migrants land on Folkestone beach
10:21, 07 February 2020
updated: 14:24, 07 February 2020
Police and Border Force are currently in Folkestone following a suspected migrant landing.
Witnesses say a "boat-load of refugees" arrived on the shore close to the Mermaid Cafe, which is near Lower Sandgate Road and the Coastal Park.
The group apparently then dispersed, with one witness saying they 'legged it'.
It is not known how many people arrived, and if any women or children were among the group.
The Border Force vessel Alert has been spotted near the harbour.
A police spokesman said: "Kent Police attended The Leas in Folkestone on the morning of Friday, February 7 following reports of suspected migrants arriving on a beach.
"Officers attended and passed the suspected migrants to the Home Office."
A Home Office spokesman said: "Border Force is currently dealing with ongoing small boat incidents off the Kent coast. Further details will be provided after the initial response and once the situation has been resolved."
It follows news that 90 people were rescued and taken to Dover yesterday.
They had arrived in eight separate groups and had been helped to safety by teams from Border Force vessels Searcher, Speedwell and Alert and the Dover and Littlestone RNLI lifeboats.
Meanwhile French authorities rescued 11 migrants on their side of the Channel early this morning.
Coastguards were alerted at 3.04am GMT that a group in a dinghy were in difficulty at sea north-west of Calais.
An air and sea search and rescue was launched and a coastguard vessel picked up eight men and three women at 6.03am GMT and brought them to Calais.
Two migrants needed medical treatment, one suffering severe hypothermia.
The others were handed over to border police.
Details of this case have come from the French maritime authority préfecture maritime de la Manche et de la mer du Nord.
