Nearly 700 illegal boat migrants have been brought ashore in Britain over the past two days, as the crisis in the English Channel looks to continue its record-setting pace.
On Wednesday, some 279 illegal aliens crossed the Channel in nine small boats after setting sail from France. This comes after a yearly high was seen on Tuesday when 400 arrived on the beaches of England.
On top of that, an additional 563 boat migrants were successfully prevented by French authorities over the past two days, meaning well over 1,000 attempted to reach the United Kingdom in just two days.
The total number of illegals who have reached the country by boat has already hit 2,923 which, according to The Times, is more than double the figure seen during the same time period last year.
Meanwhile, the National Crime Agency (NCA) — Britain’s rough equivalent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) — has issued a warning to merchants who sell dinghies, the common mode of transport used by people-smugglers to ferry the migrants into British waters.
In a press release, the NCA said that maritime business owners should be suspicious of customers looking to purchase small boats in cash, make repeated or bulk purchases, display a lack of concern about the seaworthiness of the vessel, and those who show an eagerness to complete transactions quickly without providing a delivery address.
The law enforcement agency went on to call on business owners to report any unusual purchases of untreated plywood boards, PVC tarpaulin sheets, and duct tape, which the NCA claimed are used by people-smugglers to reinforce inflatable boats used to traffick illegal migrants.
“As the weather starts to improve, making small boat crossings more likely, we are taking this opportunity to reinforce our appeals to those within the marine and maritime industries to help us stop those involved in organised people smuggling,” said NCA Deputy Director Andrea Wilson.
Mocking the announcement from the ‘British FBI’, Brexit leader Nigel Farage said on his prime-time TV show on GB News on Wednesday evening: “The trouble is, National Crime Agency, the boats are coming the other way!”
Sharing footage from a “busy day” in Dover — where most migrants are brought ashore by the British Border Force — Mr Farage lamented: “It’s the same old pattern, it’s going to be about 90 per cent young men, no documentation or ID at all.
“They will get put up in hotels or wherever at huge cost to the taxpayer, yet the genuine refugees that will be coming from Ukraine will be housed, predominantly, with British families at a cost of the taxpayer that is a few hundred pounds. There is a massive difference between the two.”
“If you thought the Channel crisis had gone away it hasn’t and the forecast over the next few days is for some very calm weather,” he added, hinting that many more boats filled with illegals will likely make the journey from France.
Boris Johnson’s government has been warned that up to as 65,000 could land this year, nearly double last year’s record of 28,526, but remains unwilling to consider the simple expedient of turning boats back to France unilaterally.
Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter here @KurtZindulka