Dozens of desperate people rescued crossing the Channel on Christmas Day

Almost 70 people were rescued by British authorities on Christmas Day while trying to cross the Channel.

Almost 70 people were rescued by British authorities yesterday, Christmas Day, while trying to make the dangerous journey across the Channel.

In the early hours of yesterday morning, Border Force officers took a group of people to Dover, Kent, after an incident involving two small boats.

On Saturday afternoon, they confirmed that 67 people had been rescued as well as French authorities intercepting a boat with an unknown number of people who were also trying to cross the Channel.

Images show agencies in the UK bringing in a group of people, including very young children, just before 1:30am on Christmas Day. They were wearing blue surgical masks and huddling together under blankets to keep warm.

The minister for justice and tackling illegal migration, Tom Pursglove, said: “The public have been crying out for reform for two decades and that’s what this Government is delivering through our new plan for immigration.”

“The Nationality and Borders Bill will make it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK illegally, and introduce life sentences for those who facilitate illegal entry into the country.”

“It will also strengthen the powers of Border Force to stop and redirect vessels, while introducing new powers to remove asylum seekers to have their claims processed outside the UK.”

The highly perilous crossing on often unseaworthy boats has resulted in multiple deaths of vulnerable people.

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