Overview
- Hundreds arrived on Saturday, with GB News counting about 315 people processed at Dover after 55 on Friday, taking the year’s running total to nearly 6,800.
- A senior maritime source said smugglers launched along almost 100 miles of coast from Belgium down to Treport to dodge the usual French beach patrol zones.
- Belgian police say launches from West Flanders are now regular, logging 27 attempts and five failures in the first four months of 2026 and arresting 40 suspected smugglers and more than 360 migrants since January.
- The surge follows a three‑year £662 million UK–France deal that aims to raise French coastal patrol officers from about 700 to 1,100, with £160 million held back unless new tactics show results.
- Spring usually brings more crossings, and the move into Belgian waters could mean longer, riskier trips for people on board even as enforcement and intelligence sharing expand.