Four people die after busiest day for small-boat crossings this year

Four people died trying to cross the Channel overnight after the busiest day for small-boat crossings so far this year saw 752 arrivals in the UK.

One man died after a vessel capsized off France's northern coast late on Wednesday, local officials said, with a one-year-old child among those hurt.

Seven hours later, three people were found dead aboard a small boat after launching from Dunkirk overnight, some 100km (62 miles) up the coast.

French officials confirmed their deaths as the Home Office reported that Wednesday saw the highest number of crossings in a single day this year, with nine boats reaching the UK.

Local authorities in France said the first boat capsized off the coast at Hardelot around 23:30 local time (21:30 GMT) on Wednesday.

The man is thought to have been in his 30s or 40s, officials added. Six other people including the child sustained minor injuries.

Local officials said the vessel was a "taxi" boat - which cruise along the coast and pick up their paying customers who are waiting in the sea.

Security officials "neutralised" the boat and an investigation into the incident has been launched.

The second boat launched from the Dunkirk area overnight was spotted near a breakwater off the coast at 06:00, the French coastguard said.

Search and rescue officials subsequently found three unconscious people aboard. Their deaths were later confirmed by emergency medical personnel.

A UK government spokesperson said: "Every death in the Channel is a tragedy and a stark reminder of the dangers posed by criminal gangs exploiting vulnerable people for profit."

Prime Minister Andy Burnham, speaking separately about small boat crossings on Thursday, said the UK had made "significant progress" on reducing the number of arrivals.

But, asked by reporters about US President Donald Trump's remark that the UK had a "huge immigration problem", Burnham said there was much still to do "to get those numbers right down".

Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp called the deaths "preventable" and said the only way to save lives was "to stop the crossings completely".

He said a "proper deterrent" was required, adding: "If they [migrants] know they will be quickly removed, then they will not cross in the first place."

The Refugee Council said the deaths were "heartbreaking" and stressed that "those who risk dangerous small boat journeys do so only out of desperation".

"Fewer refugees would risk Channel crossings if the government created safe pathways for people to come to the UK, like they previously did for people coming from Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan," said its external affairs director Imran Hussain.

A total of 162 people died in the English Channel between 2018 and 2025, according to the University of Oxford's Migration Observatory.

Small-boat crossings have become the most common way for people to be detected entering the UK illegally since 2020.

Wednesday's 752 arrivals surpassed the year's previous daily high of 710 recorded in June, and brings the provisional total for the year to 14,128 - which is42% lower than the number recorded by this time last year.

The Home Office has said this is not just down to weather conditions but also its work with French authorities to prevent crossings by ensuring enforcement action on beaches and seizing boats, including a £662m deal signed in April.

Wednesday's figure is the highest number recorded in one day since 20 December 2025, when there were 803 arrivals - but is well below the 1,305 arrivals recorded on 3 September 2022.

Last week, a record 165 migrants arrived in a single boat.

Additional reporting by Dan Wainwright, BBC Verify