Number of Illegal Entries Into UK This Year Nears 10,000

A group of people thought to be illegal immigrants walk up the beach after being brought in to Dungeness, Kent, onboard the RNLI Dungeness Lifeboat, on May 17, 2022. Gareth Fuller/PA Media

Almost 10,000 people have entered the UK illegally by crossing the English Channel in small boats this year, official figures show.

By Friday, a total of 9,988 illegal immigrants arrived in small boats in 2022, according to the analysis of government data by the PA news agency.