Number of migrants arriving in UK in boats tops 10,000 this year

The number of people arriving in the UK in small boats has reached over 10,000 since the start of the year, UK government figures showed yesterday.

The provisional total covering the period up to Saturday stands at 10,139, according to data released by the interior ministry, the Home Office.

The figure is down by over 1,000 on that from the same time last year, when there had been more than 11,300 crossings by June 17.

Last Sunday saw the highest number of crossings on a single day so far this year, with 549 people making the perilous journey.