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More than 100 migrants rescued in Channel less than week after £650m France deal
The rescues came as Channel crossings remained dangerous, with 6,077 people reaching the UK by small boat this year, officials said.
The French Coast Guard rescued 119 migrants in three separate incidents over the weekend, transporting 106 people to Calais on Sunday after their dinghy broke down in the English Channel.
Last Thursday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood signed a three-year agreement with France pledging £662 million to bolster beach patrols and curb small boat crossings.
Smugglers employed a so-called "taxi boat" tactic to avoid detection, while authorities near Wimereux rescued seven people, including a woman who lost consciousness and required helicopter evacuation.
The Home Office allocated £501 million for five police units, with an extra £160 million conditional on success, aiming to see hundreds "removed from French beaches" through enforcement efforts.
Between January and April, 6,077 people crossed the English Channel—a 37% decrease from last year—yet more than 70,000 migrants have arrived since Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer took office.