British crews backed by drones rescued 500 people from Channel in one day 

Almost 500 people were rescued from the English Channel on one day by British life-savers, newly released data shows.

HM Coastguard (HMC), Border Force and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) took part in 11 responses on April 5.

In the biggest single interception, 73 people were rescued and taken to Dover after two vessels from Border Force attended.

Co-ordinated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency after the alarm was raised at 6.55am, the incident in the Dover Strait saw the UK’s Defender and Athena crews being assisted by two French vessels.

The first call is logged to 1.24am and involved the Border Force’s Hurricane and Ranger catamarans and two fixed-wing Coastguard aircraft.

The Dover RNLI Lifeboat also took part in three incidents, one of which involved rescuing 46 people with support from an AR5 fixed-wing drone.

Over the 12 hours of call-outs, another unmanned aerial vehicle, named in the logs as AR3, was deployed to assist the Hurricane.

The ship’s crew rescued 57 people attempting the treacherous crossing between France’s northern coast and England.

In total, 480 people were taken to Dover over the course of the day, according to the information provided by HMC.

The second busiest day of the year so far followed a report that people smugglers were using multiple launches of small boats at around the same time to overwhelm British and French patrols.

Weather conditions are also understood to play a factor in spikes of attempted crossings across the English Channel.

The apparent change in tactics came almost a month after the government announced controversial new laws to stop small boat crossings.

Currently going through parliament, the Illegal Migration Bill would mean people seeking asylum in the UK through ‘safe’ countries and routes judged to be illegal can be detained and removed.

The legislation was introduced after the prime minister made ‘stop the boats’ one of his five pledges.

The dataset shows that the government’s existing deterrence efforts, including a deal where the UK will pay France £478 million over the next three years to try and prevent the crossings, are not currently stemming the flow of people.

Separate figures from the Home Office show that 492 people were detected on the day — the second busiest of the year behind April 23, when 497 people risked their lives attempting to cross one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.

People smuggling networks were charging around 2,500 euros (£2,178) per person for a place on a rubber boat last year, according to Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency.

The prices were based on the feasibility of crossings and whether the journey was being sought by an individual or family group, and are likely to have risen, the European Union agency said.

The danger faced by those being packed into flimsy inflatable boats by smugglers was underscored in December when four people died after a small boat capsized.

The tragedy followed another which claimed 31 lives in November 2022, the worst loss of life in the Channel for 30 years.

Natasha Tsangarides, associate director of advocacy at campaign group Freedom from Torture, said: ‘Rishi Sunak’s own figures show that this refugee ban bill is as ineffectual as it is vindictive.

‘Devised to demonise refugees to distract from his own failings and win populist votes, this inhumane legislation will do nothing to reduce the number of deaths on the Channel.

‘By shutting down means to seek sanctuary, the government has left the perilous Channel crossing as the only route available for most people fleeing torture and war to reach the UK.

‘Anyone prepared to cross the busiest shipping lane in Europe in a flimsy inflatable must have concluded that the alternative is worse.’

Ms Tsangarides called for safe routes to be opened up to the UK to prevent asylum seekers riSki Goggles (On Sale Here)ng their lives.

‘Rather than punishing refugees and whipping up division, this government must abandon this Bill and focus on rebuilding a fair and efficient asylum system,’ she said. ‘Also, it must expand safe routes through international cooperation, which will reduce the push factors that drive people to make dangerous journeys.’

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency confirmed that it had taken part in the day’s biggest operation alongside French crews.

A spokesperson said: ‘HM Coastguard coordinated the response to a small boat crossing on 5 April 2023 in the Dover Strait with 73 people on board.

‘We sent UK Border Force vessels Defender and Athena and they were assisted by French vessels Scylla and Loire.

‘All those on board were taken back to Dover.’

Overall, more than 6,500 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year, official figures show.

Other deterrence efforts undertaken by the government include the plan to remove some people arriving by ‘irregular’ routes to Rwanda.

The scheme is awaiting a decision by judges after more than 100 legal challenges by individuals and groups.

In another contentious move, a barge currently docked in Falmouth, Cornwall, called the Bibby Stockholm, is being readied to hold around 500 men while their asylum claims are processed.

A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘These figures demonstrate how dangerous Channel crossings are. We cannot allow a system to continue which incentivises people to risk their lives and pay people smugglers to come here illegally. 

‘The British people want the government to stop the boats, which is why the Prime Minister made it one of his five priorities this year.

‘Our Illegal Migration Bill is designed to end illegal entry into the UK by deterring migrants from making these dangerous and unnecessary journeys in the first place.’

MORE : Biggest Channel rescue in three years saw 80 people saved – including children

Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact [email protected]

First appear at British crews backed by drones rescued 500 people from Channel in one day 

---