Child given wheelchair among migrants arriving in UK after crossing Channel

A child was helped into a wheelchair as he arrived in Dover with a group of migrants after crossing the Channel.

Pictures show men, women and children wearing lifejackets and blankets disembarking from a Border Force ship in Kent harbour on Tuesday.

It is reported that the child was given a wheelchair by customs upon arrival in Dover due to a medical condition.

According to figures from the Ministry of the Interior, these are the first arrivals in a week, since 206 people made the journey on August 19.

In total, 19,294 people had arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel as of 26 August. That is 2% fewer than at the same point in 2023 (19,741) and 20% fewer than in 2022 (24,153).

A Home Office spokesman said: “We all want to see an end to dangerous small boat crossings, which undermine border security and put lives at risk.

“The new Government is taking steps to improve our border security by establishing a new Border Security Command that will bring together our intelligence and law enforcement agencies, equipped with new counter-terrorism powers and hundreds of staff based in the UK and abroad to help defeat criminal smuggling gangs that are making millions in profits.”