Record 165 Migrants Arrive In Dover On One Boat

A record 165 migrants reached the UK in a single Channel crossing, the Home Office said, after the boat arrived in Dover on Thursday afternoon.

The new figure surpassed the previous peak recorded in July, when 128 people travelled from France in one vessel.

Record crossing in Dover

Border Security Command released images showing officers towing a “mega dinghy” estimated at 13m (42ft) long, roughly the size of a standard bus.

In comments provided with the confirmation, a Home Office spokesperson said the arrival was a “stark reminder” that criminal gangs have “no regard” for the safety of people they claim to be helping. They added: “The reality is clear and lives are being lost in the Channel”.

Death toll and safety concerns

The University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory said 162 people died in the Channel between 2018 and 2025.

It said the wider total rises to 257 when deaths linked to migration are included, including accidents involving people trying to board lorries bound for the UK.

Care4Calais said the route was becoming more dangerous as crossings involved more people per boat. Sydney Sopher, from the refugee charity, said the UK and French governments have spent years focusing on border security and enforcement, but that this had made Channel crossings more and more dangerous.

He said the charity has called for governments to open safe routes, arguing that enforcement without such options continues to push people into unsafe attempts.

Sopher pointed to the discovery of a body on a beach in Berck days earlier and said the deaths were preventable. He added that the charity believes the tragedies could be stopped overnight by opening safe routes.

Home Office figures and France deal

The Home Office said a new deal with France, signed in April, is intended to prevent “perilous journeys” by boosting enforcement action on beaches.

It said the measure would build on more than 45,000 attempted crossings stopped since the 2024 election.

Home Office figures showed 366 people arrived in the UK on three boats on Thursday during warm, sunny weather with calm conditions at sea. Some 172 people made the journey on Wednesday, ending an 11-day hiatus linked to wind in the Channel.

Combined, the Home Office recorded 538 arrivals across Wednesday and Thursday together.

Officials recorded 13,007 arrivals so far this year. The total is 45% lower than the number logged at this point last year and down 18% compared with the same period in 2024.

Many migrants come from some of the poorest, most oppressive and most chaotic parts of the world, and they typically ask to claim asylum once they are picked up by UK authorities.

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25 July 2026

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