How many people cross the Channel in small boats and where do they come from?

[Borchester]

I saw twenty odd personally and literally decades ago.

Back in 97 i was freelancing at a site near Ipswich and accepted an invite for an afternoon of fun sailing a small yacht out of a nearby marina to give a couple of guys coming up for an RYA exam some extra practice

Coming back i had a go at the wheel and handed over to the main man just before the tricky right hander into the harbour. The chap was just saying how distraction at the wrong time could be trouble because of a sand bar when he ended saying 'like these guys' ... a boat like ours was grounded on a sandbank generated by the tidal river flow outside the marina entrance.....

We were about to do the decent thing and come alongside and offer to use our engine to try to pull them off when the front hatch opened and a load of people in tracksuits and the like ran to the bow, jumped into the water (a bit less than waist deep) and legged it to shore and off into the shrubbery by the A12 i think it was

a bloody good laugh at the time but we stopped laughing when we heard how much the scumbag was charging for a cross channel trip one way no questions asked.

When I was on coasters in the mid 60s we would pick up illegals from the Continental ports and ferry them to the UK. The lads were grateful and there were a few pretty smiles from the girls, but cashwise  we saw sod all.

[papasmurf]

And the figures cant include those who made it unhindered as we dont know they made it

I am not alone in suspecting thousands have been put ashore here at the Western end of the English channel. The staff and teams who used to do the checking for such clandestine arrivals were cut back in the late 1980s. 

[johnofgwent]

Its a good point JoG , there have been untold numbers just landing on the south coast beaches and walking away unchallenged for some time .
It was some years before it was even reported  and only when the numbers were getting out of hand that we started sending the 'border gaurd' to pick them up .

I saw twenty odd personally and literally decades ago. 

Back in 97 i was freelancing at a site near Ipswich and accepted an invite for an afternoon of fun sailing a small yacht out of a nearby marina to give a couple of guys coming up for an RYA exam some extra practice

Coming back i had a go at the wheel and handed over to the main man just before the tricky right hander into the harbour. The chap was just saying how distraction at the wrong time could be trouble because of a sand bar when he ended saying 'like these guys' ... a boat like ours was grounded on a sandbank generated by the tidal river flow outside the marina entrance.....

We were about to do the decent thing and come alongside and offer to use our engine to try to pull them off when the front hatch opened and a load of people in tracksuits and the like ran to the bow, jumped into the water (a bit less than waist deep) and legged it to shore and off into the shrubbery by the A12 i think it was

a bloody good laugh at the time but we stopped laughing when we heard how much the scumbag was charging for a cross channel trip one way no questions asked.

[Streetwalker]

As we all know, that link is from the fucking BBC who refuse to distinguish those who say they are fleeing persecution from those trying to get here to make a fast buck as a black gig economy worker.

And the figures cant include those who made it unhindered as we dont know they made it

Its a good point JoG , there have been untold numbers just landing on the south coast beaches and walking away unchallenged for some time . 
It was some years before it was even reported  and only when the numbers were getting out of hand that we started sending the 'border gaurd' to pick them up .

[johnofgwent]

You need to supply some data, this post makes no sense.

Ah but there is a point to make. The french were supposed (according to their pontifications last year) to be taking action to reduce the availability of boats for use by people smugglers and given there seems little or no letup in the numbers and no return trade, someone must be running a nice little earner in boat provision...

[johnofgwent]

As we all know, that link is from the fucking BBC who refuse to distinguish those who say they are fleeing persecution from those trying to get here to make a fast buck as a black gig economy worker.

And the figures cant include those who made it unhindered as we dont know they made it

[Streetwalker]

To be fair, a lot were women and kids, but you would expect the men to at least bring a bottle

I dont know how many are women or kids , the vast majority seem to be men with the odd family group getting plenty of exposure with the media . But thats neither here nor there ,the fact remains they be univited and the doormen are not doing their jobs .
As you say  Borky they dont even bring a bottle 

I would be wary of that, it would probably be filled with wee.

They are taking it Pappa not giving it away .

[papasmurf]

To be fair, a lot were women and kids, but you would expect the men to at least bring a bottle

I would be wary of that, it would probably be filled with wee.

[Borchester]

It doesnt matter where they come from , it matters that they have arrived at our party uninvited , rude bastards .

To be fair, a lot were women and kids, but you would expect the men to at least bring a bottle

[papasmurf]

You need to supply some data, this post makes no sense.

It was  statement made on the BBC World Service. It did not contain a datasets as that is impossible on the radio.

[Nick]

The people or the small boat? (According to the BBC World Service radio this morning the boats are coming from Turkey the outboard engines coming from China and are being uprated from 30bhp to 40bhp making them less reliable.)

You need to supply some data, this post makes no sense. 

[papasmurf]

How many people cross the Channel in small boats and where do they come from?

The number of people claiming asylum in the UK rose sharply in 2022.

Source: How many people cross the Channel in small boats and where do they come from?

The people or the small boat? (According to the BBC World Service radio this morning the boats are coming from Turkey the outboard engines coming from China and are being uprated from 30bhp to 40bhp making them less reliable.)

[Streetwalker]

How many people cross the Channel in small boats and where do they come from?

The number of people claiming asylum in the UK rose sharply in 2022.

Source: How many people cross the Channel in small boats and where do they come from?

It doesnt matter where they come from , it matters that they have arrived at our party uninvited , rude bastards .

[BBC News]

How many people cross the Channel in small boats and where do they come from?

The number of people claiming asylum in the UK rose sharply in 2022.

Source: How many people cross the Channel in small boats and where do they come from?