Key facts
- A record 230 people crossed the English Channel in a single small boat.
- Smugglers are using larger 'mega-dinghies' to evade authorities.
- This year's crossings are down 43% compared to the same period last year.
- The UK has a payment-by-results deal with France to increase beach patrols.
A record 230 people crossed the English Channel in a single small boat, arriving in the UK on Saturday. This incident indicates that people smugglers in northern France are adapting their business model by using larger 'mega-dinghies' to evade enforcement by UK and French authorities.
Before an incident last week where a mega-dinghy carrying 173 people capsized, there had been nine mega-dinghy crossings so far this year. The UK government has struck a deal with Germany to increase seizures of traditional dinghies and engines 'upstream'.
Last year, 106 people were reported to have crossed the Channel in a single dinghy in August and 125 in September. The emergence of mega-dinghies coincided with the announcement in July 2025 of the UK-France 'one in, one out' deal. On July 12 this year, a mega-dinghy carrying 128 people arrived in the UK, followed by another carrying 165 people on July 23. On August 4, a dinghy carrying 173 people capsized after the engine caught fire.
The use of mega-dinghies poses a greater risk to life than smaller vessels, which have recently carried an average of between 50 and 60 passengers. When small-boat crossings began in 2018, only a handful of people typically travelled in each dinghy.
NGOs state that many asylum seekers continue to wait in northern France for an opportunity to cross the Channel. Hannah Marwood, head of legal access at Care4Calais, said: 'Deterrence doesn’t stop people seeking safety, it just pushes them towards greater danger and greater exploitation.'
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'This latest incident demonstrates the reckless and dangerous tactics employed by the criminal gangs facilitating these crossings, who continue to put lives at risk by cramming ever greater numbers of people onto unseaworthy vessels.' The spokesperson added that the number of small-boat crossings is down this year and the lowest number recorded for July since 2020. The UK has signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40% more boots on the ground on French beaches.