Number of Channel migrants still rising

MORE than 5,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel so far this year, latest figures show.

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Some 341 people made the journey in six boats on Thursday, bringing the provisional total for the year so far to 5,025.

This is the earliest point in the year that crossings have reached the 5,000 mark since data on Channel crossings was first reported in 2018. Last year, 5,000 arrivals was passed on March 31.

The cumulative number of arrivals so far in 2025 - 5,025 - is 24% higher than at this stage in 2024, when the figure stood at 4,043, and 36% higher than at this point in 2023 (3,683).