More than 25,000 people have been detected crossing the English Channel in small boats so far this year, Home Office figures confirm.
Some 472 people made the crossing on Monday, taking the provisional total for 2023 to 25,330.
There were 45,774 arrivals in 2022.
On Saturday 537 people made the crossing, with a further 28 on Sunday, meaning more than 1,000 arrivals have been recorded in the past three days.
Nine boats were detected on Monday, which suggests an average of around 52 people crossed the Channel per boat.
The total number of small boat arrivals so far this year is around 23% below the equivalent number at this point last year.
Just over 33,000 people had made the crossing by October 2 2022, compared with 25,330 detected so far in 2023.
The Home Office reiterated that the “unacceptable” number of people making the crossing is “placing an unprecedented strain on our asylum system”, adding that its priority remains to “stop the boats”, with the Small Boats Operational Command working alongside French authorities and other agencies to disrupt people smugglers.
A spokesperson added: “The Government is going even further through our Illegal Migration Act, which will mean that people arriving in the UK illegally are detained and promptly removed to their country of origin or a safe third country.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made stopping the crossings one of key pledges for this year.
