Hundreds more people, including very young children, have made the dangerous Channel crossing to reach the UK.

Adults carrying youngsters and others wrapped in blankets were seen arriving on the Kent coast yesterday, with help from lifeboat crews.

Asylum seekers arriving at Dungeness yesterday: Video Paul Fenney

Official figures have not been confirmed but it is believed hundreds of people made the journey.

Meanwhile, French officials said 243 people in difficulty were recovered and brought to safety at the ports of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Dunkirk and Calais.

More than 24,700 people have arrived in the UK so far this year after making the Channel crossing in small boats – almost three times the number there were in 2020.

This includes at least 1,247 who arrived since Monday, according to data compiled by the PA news agency. This number is set to rise as the exact figure for Tuesday is still being finalised by the Home Office.

The arrivals came as it was reported asylum seekers will have to obey strict rules in new centres or face their claims being rejected under plans advocated by Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Kevin Saunders, former chief immigration officer for the UK Border Force, argued that people who arrive in the UK via the Channel need to be processed offshore.

He told Times Radio: “The most effective way would be to take all the people who have arrived in the UK to an offshore processing centre and deal with it offshore.

“That is the only way you will stop people from coming into the UK. We’ve seen trying to do it with the French on land, on the Channel, nothing works.”

Asked why it had to be offshore, he said: “People will still come to the UK, because they know we are not going to be able to remove them from the United Kingdom when their asylum claim fails.”

He said only a small number of people had been removed this year and described the UK as “just too attractive” for people, adding: “They know that once they’re in the UK they’ve won the jackpot.”

The Home Secretary has been impressed with centres being built in Greece, where migrants were put under strict curfews and faced routine checks on their movements, the Daily Telegraph reported.

A UK government source was quoted by the Telegraph saying if asylum seekers breached new rules, their asylum claim could be impacted.

Meanwhile, the Times reported that Boris Johnson had drafted in Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay to oversee the issue of the rising number of migrants arriving on Britain’s shores.

The newspaper said that the PM was “exasperated” with the situation following a number of strategies to stem the flow.

The move to bring in Mr Barclay could be seen as an admission that Ms Patel has not managed to tackle the issue.

“They know that once they’re in the UK they’ve won the jackpot...”

It comes after Sir Keir Starmer accused her of failing to deliver on promises to stem the flow of illegal migrants crossing the Channel.

The Labour leader said she had not secured strong enough agreements with the French government to prevent migrants making the dangerous sea journey.

He said the Home Secretary repeatedly used “strong language” to say how she would tackle the problem, but delivered “absolutely nothing”.

We have closed the ability to comment on this story due to the number of abusive and racist posts received on this topic.

We appreciate it is a very divisive issue but must ensure our comments adhere to house rules.

Head to our politics page for expert analysis and all the latest news from your politicians and councils.

Read more: All the latest news from Romney Marsh