More than 3,000 migrants crossed Channel in busiest fortnight so far this year

A total of 3,197 people made the journey between October 24 and November 6, Home Office figures show.

This is the busiest 14-day period of crossings for the year so far, according to analysis by the PA news agency.

It comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to sign new agreements to intercept criminal gangs smuggling migrants through the Western Balkans as part of efforts to bring down small boat crossings.

Sir Keir announced the deals to boost intelligence sharing, expertise and co-operation with Serbia, North Macedonia and Kosovo at a meeting of the European Political Community in Budapest, Hungary, on Thursday.

The Prime Minister told broadcasters the agreements were “very important” and that how to work together to take down gangs smuggling people across borders had been a key feature of discussions at the day’s meetings.

Sir Keir said: “The conversation was about how we then turn those into the operations that we need to intercept the gangs – the groups that are running this, making a huge amount of money all along the routes that they’re using for people smuggling.

“And I’m absolutely determined that with agreements like this, we can take these gangs down.”

He was expected to urge European partners to take action to reduce deaths in the Channel during small boat crossings and tell them that lawful, international co-operation will be key to efforts.

Some 307 people made the journey in five boats on Wednesday, taking the provisional total for 2024 to date to 31,842.

This is up 19% on this time last year (26,699) but down 20% on 2022 (39,929), a record high year for crossings.

The crossings come as four bodies were discovered in the water off the coast of Calais across Tuesday and Wednesday, the French coastguard said.

Kent Police also said the body of a man was pulled from the Channel as officers were called to Dover lifeboat station on Tuesday.

Investigations have been launched into their deaths and authorities are yet to confirm whether the people who died were migrants.

Some 50 people have died while trying to cross the Channel this year, according to incidents recorded by the French coastguard.

The latest incidents are yet to be recorded in the figures.

Earlier this week, Sir Keir also vowed the Government would “treat people smugglers like terrorists” as he announced an extra £75 million for his border security command during a speech at the Interpol general assembly in Glasgow on Monday.

The next day the ringleader of a “prolific” people smuggling gang thought to be behind 10,000 Channel crossings was jailed for 15 years in a French court, with 17 other members of the network also convicted.

The group was prosecuted in the wake of a 2022 police operation across Europe which led to dozens of arrests in Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands, with more than 100 boats, 1,000 life jackets, engines and cash being seized.

Meanwhile, Interpol director of organised and emerging crime Richard Chambers told PA the scale of Channel crossings is “significant” amid the “growing” threat from people smuggling, as details emerged of the largest worldwide operation of its kind co-ordinated by the law enforcement body which culminated in thousands of arrests.