Record 230 migrants cross Channel in single ‘mega-dinghy’

Holly Bancroft Mon, August 10, 2026 at 9:44 AM UTC

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Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Minister for Border Security and Asylum Anna Turley stand by a recovered small boat, used by migrants crossing the English Channel, as he meets with members of the Home Office and the Coastguard, during a visit to HM Coastguard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, in Dover, southern England, on August 2, 2026. (AFP/Getty)

A record 230 migrants arrived after crossing the Channel to the UK in a single boat on Monday.

The “mega dinghy” left France overnight, arriving in Dover in the early hours. The number breaks the previous record from July when 165 people successfully made the crossing.

Small boats used to cross the Channel have been getting bigger as people smugglers use fewer crossings with more passengers to evade the French authorities.

Small boat crossings to the UK this year are down compared to previous years, with around 14,000 making the journey between January and July.

The number of migrants crammed onto a single dinghy has been increasing in recent months, and one dinghy carrying 173 people capsized in the Channel after its engine caught fire earlier in August.

French authorities said that 173 people were rescued by French vessels, helped by two British border force boats and an RNLI lifeboat.

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People thought to be migrants board a small boat off the coast of Equihen-Plage, France, during an attempt to cross the English Channel in July. (PA Wire)

Responding on X on Monday, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “At 2.30am this morning a boat carrying 230 people was taken into Dover.

“This is a record number in a single vessel. It’s yet more proof that this illegal invasion is a national security emergency.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: "This latest incident demonstrates the reckless and dangerous tactics employed by the criminal gangs facilitating these crossings, who continue to put lives at risk by cramming ever greater numbers of people onto unseaworthy vessels.

“We are making progress, with the number of small boat crossings down this year and the lowest number recorded for the month of July since 2020.

“But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40 per cent more boots on the ground on French beaches.”

This is a breaking story. More to follow...

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Source: “AOL Breaking”