More than 800 migrants crossed the English Channel on Saturday, setting a new daily record for December and pushing annual arrivals to unprecedented levels.

The surge follows a month-long pause in crossings, with poor weather conditions preventing small boats from attempting the journey. Once the winds eased, 13 vessels carrying 803 people were intercepted and brought to Dover by Border Force and RNLI crews.

The latest arrivals bring the total number of Channel crossings this year to 41,455—surpassing last year’s 36,816, and edging closer to the record 45,755 arrivals registered in 2022.

A Home Office spokesperson condemned the rise in small-boat journeys, calling the numbers “shameful” and insisting the public “deserve better.” The government said it had already removed nearly 50,000 people who were in the country illegally, and pointed to a Franco-British agreement that it claims has resulted in migrants being returned to France.

French authorities confirmed they rescued 151 people attempting the crossing over the weekend. Officials said the group was taken back to France after getting into difficulty at sea.

Charities in northern France report unusually high numbers of migrants gathering in temporary camps around Calais for this time of year, with many waiting for the first safe opportunity to travel to the UK. The recent build-up followed 28 consecutive days of stormy weather that made crossings impossible and created a backlog of people ready to depart once conditions improved. Photo by Man vyi, Wikimedia commons.