Police ‘preparing’ for more small boat arrivals after dinghy heading for the south coast seen in the English Channel

DAILYMAIL.COM • 2h ago

By LETTICE BROMOVSKY, NEWS REPORTER 16:40 04 Oct 2026, updated 16:42 04 Oct 2026

Police are preparing for the possible arrival of another migrant dinghy on the south coast after a small boat was spotted making its way across the English Channel from France.

The vessel was seen heading towards the Channel boundary line after apparently setting off from near Utah Beach in Normandy on Sunday morning.

It is understood the dinghy is being shadowed by French coastguard and rescue vessels as it makes its way towards Britain.

The movement of the boat has prompted preparations in Hampshire, with local officers understood to be ready to respond if it reaches the coast.

But there is currently no indication that the vessel is definitely bound for Gosport or anywhere else in Hampshire.

Caroline Dinenage, Conservative MP for Gosport, said she had contacted the Government for an urgent update: ‘I am aware of reports of a migrant boat crossing from Normandy towards the south coast of the UK.

‘I have contacted the Home Office border security minister and requested an urgent update.

‘At present, there is nothing to suggest that the boat will be landing in Gosport. Understandably, local police will be making preparations should that situation change.’

Reform UK Hampshire councillor George Madgwick also posted images appearing to show police officers and coaches in the Fareham area.

He claimed they were in the area ready for ‘a small boat due to land locally’.

The latest crossing comes just days after a similar operation caused tension in nearby Gosport when hundreds of protesters gathered over reports that a migrant boat was due to arrive there.

That dinghy, which had travelled from Normandy, eventually arrived in Dover after spending more than 30 hours at sea.

The 51 people on board had reportedly refused assistance from the French coastguard before British rescue vessels intervened.

The incident sparked a major police operation in Gosport, with six people arrested as officers dealt with protesters.

Three people were subsequently charged over offences including assaults on emergency workers.

Departures from further west along the French coast have been relatively unusual in recent years, but there have now been three such crossings in the space of a month.

The longer journeys mean boats can spend many hours at sea before reaching British waters, while their eventual landing point can be difficult to predict.

The Government has stressed that Border Security Command monitors the Channel around the clock and that those arriving by small boat are subject to checks and processing.

A Government spokesperson said: ‘The Border Security Command works around the clock to monitor the Channel and protect our border. It is vital we continue to detain, check and process every small boat arrival.’

Official figures show the number of small boat arrivals remains significantly lower than at the same point last year, despite continued crossings.

The Home Office recorded 526 arrivals on September 27 and a further 61 on September 29, with no arrivals recorded on several other days in the final week of September.

The provisional total for Channel crossings this year is 19,451, according to figures cited by officials, down 43 per cent on this point last year and 23 per cent below the figure at the same stage in 2024.

The latest Border Security Command annual report said small boat crossings had begun to fall but remained a ‘persistent and adaptive threat’, warning that organised crime groups could change their tactics and seek to increase journeys when conditions were favourable.

The Government has also been working with France to prevent departures, with French authorities reporting hundreds of small boat crossing attempts stopped under the latest UK-France arrangements.

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