More than 500 migrants have reportedly reached Britain in small boats on Wednesday as smuggling gangs took advantage of calmer conditions to push through the highest number of crossings seen this year.

The day’s total of 545 people, observed to have been spread across ten boats, arrived on the warmest day of 2026 so far, pushing the monthly figure past 1,000. The running annual total now stands at 2,149 — just ahead of the 2,056 recorded at the equivalent stage in 2025, a year that ultimately ended with 41,472 arrivals, the second highest on record since the crisis took hold in 2018.

Wednesday’s wave followed a fortnight of no crossings, broken only by 74 arrivals on Tuesday.

Ramsgate receives arrivals

Those landing were seen by the press stepping off a Border Force vessel at Ramsgate, Kent, dressed in lifejackets and coats. The port has taken over from Dover while repair work is carried out there, with new arrivals transferred onward by bus to the Manston asylum processing centre.

Reform calls for mass deportation unit

The crossings come amid growing political pressure over migration. Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf has described the situation as an “invasion”, unveiling proposals for a dedicated unit to “track down, detain and deport” those in Britain without legal status, with removal targets of up to 288,000 people annually.

The government’s own record on removals has drawn scrutiny. Under the reciprocal arrangement with France introduced last August, fewer than two per cent of small boat arrivals have been sent back. The Home Office figures show 312 removals to France against 367 transfers into the UK under the same agreement.

The Times has reported on a separate legal battle taking shape, with 16 migrants mounting a court challenge against Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s decision to block last-minute modern slavery claims — a move they argue was unlawful.

Inquiry demands crossings ‘must end’

Earlier this month, a major independent inquiry into the Channel’s deadliest crossing concluded the journeys “must end” to prevent more deaths. Investigators found that “systemic failures, missed opportunities” and “chronic staff shortages” within Britain’s maritime emergency response were directly linked to the loss of life that night, according to the report.

The Express understands the incident took place on November 24 2021, when a packed inflatable vessel went down in darkness. Just two people made it out alive, found in French waters close to twelve hours after distress calls first went out.

The £7 million inquiry, headed by Sir Ross Cranston, has named 27 victims among the dead, with four others still unaccounted for. Its conclusion was stark: “some of those deaths were avoidable.”

Cranston said: “Apart from other reasons, it is imperative to prevent further loss of life.”