At least 140 migrants intercepted in English Channel amid bank holiday influx of boats

‘Coronavirus has made a bad situation life-threateningly worse,’ charity says about refugee camps

Border Force officers prepare to bring to shore men thought to be migrants in Dover on 9 May (PA)

At least 140 migrants were intercepted in the English Channel trying to reach UK shores as the bank holiday weekend began with as spike in the number of boats making the dangerous crossing from France.

Pictures taken at the Kent port of Dover show people wearing face masks being processed by officials on Saturday.

More than 140 migrants were picked up by authorities on Friday — thought to be a record number of people intercepted in one day in recent times.

Earlier this week, Home Secretary Priti Patel acknowledged that a recent increase in the number of migrant boats making the dangerous crossing of the English Channel is linked to the lockdown over the coronavirus outbreak.

A humanitarian charity said it is "little wonder" that so many people are risking their lives to cross the dangerous Dover straits because of "awful conditions" in French refugee camps.

Clare Moseley, founder of charity Care4Calais, said: "Coronavirus has made a bad situation life-threateningly worse. People are squeezed into tiny areas, they can't social distance, and the support they relied on for survival is drastically reduced.

"These people are fleeing terrifying situations in some of the most dangerous parts of the world. They aim for the UK because they want to be safe."

Since lockdown was announced in Britain on March 23, at least 609 migrants have been intercepted by UK authorities and brought ashore.

This is more than half of the entire total for 2020, which stands at at least 987.

These figures do not include crossings on Friday or Saturday, which the Home Office has so far refused to disclose.

While yet to confirm numbers, the department said on Saturday: "Border Force is currently dealing with a number of ongoing small boat incidents off the Kent coast."

In the early hours of Saturday, French authorities were alerted to a migrant boat and intercepted 16 migrants.

They included five women and a child, and were taken to Dunkirk.

Additional reporting by Press Association