Mega dinghy carries record 165 migrants to UK

A record 165 migrants reached the UK in a single boat, the Home Office has confirmed.

The number broke the previous record from July, when 128 crossed the Channel from France in one vessel.

Border Security Command was pictured towing a mega dinghy - estimated to be the same size as a standard bus at 13m (42ft) long - when it arrived in Dover on Thursday afternoon.

A Home Office spokesperson said the crossing served as a "stark reminder that criminal gangs have no regard for the safety of those they claim to help".

"The reality is clear and lives are being lost in the Channel," they added.

A total of 162 people died in the busy waterway between 2018 and 2025, according to the University of Oxford's Migration Observatory.

This rises to 257 when considering other migration-related deaths in the area, such as accidents involving people trying to board lorries bound for the UK, it added.

Care4Calais said the route was becoming more dangerous because of the increasing numbers of people per boat.

"The UK and French governments have spent years focusing on border security and enforcement, yet all they've achieved is to make Channel crossings more and more dangerous," said Sydney Sopher from the refugee charity.

"Just days ago a body was found on the beach in Berck. These are preventable tragedies. It could all be stopped overnight by opening safe routes."

The Home Office said its new deal with France - signed in April - prevents these "perilous journeys by boosting enforcement action on beaches".

It added it would build on the more than 45,000 attempted crossings stopped since the 2024 election.

Home Office figures show 366 people arrived in the UK on three boats on Thursday during warm, sunny weather and calm conditions at sea.

Some 172 people made the journey on Wednesday, ending an 11-day hiatus due to wind in the Channel.

According to Home Office figures, 13,007 arrivals have been recorded this year.

This is 45% lower than the number recorded by this time last year and down 18% on the same period in 2024.

Many migrants come from some of the poorest, oppressive and most chaotic parts of the world.

They typically ask to claim asylum once they are picked up by the UK authorities.

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