Around 60 migrants have been rescued from a small boat after spending more than 33 hours at sea during an unusually long attempt to cross the English Channel from Normandy.
French maritime authorities said the overcrowded dinghy had been monitored after setting out from the Normandy coast on Monday, 21 September.
The French Maritime Prefecture for the English Channel and North Sea said its Jobourg maritime rescue coordination centre monitored the vessel from around 9am on Monday until Tuesday afternoon.
Officials described the small boat as unsuitable for the crossing and said those on board had become weakened after spending more than 33 hours at sea in precarious conditions.
French vessels remained close to the dinghy as it continued towards British waters.
The operation involved the Abeille Liberté, a powerful French tug operating under naval authority, along with a number of French search-and-rescue vessels.
The boat is understood to have departed from close to Vierville-sur-Mer in Normandy, west of Bayeux — significantly further west than the areas around Calais and Dunkirk from which many Channel crossings traditionally begin.
The migrants reportedly continued to refuse French assistance as the vessel headed towards the UK.
French authorities said their deployment was required under international maritime obligations to protect life at sea, while acknowledging the difficulties created when people aboard small boats decline assistance because they intend to continue towards Britain.
RNLI LIFEBOATS SENT INTO CHANNEL
Two RNLI lifeboats, understood to have launched from Eastbourne and Hastings, travelled into the Channel on Tuesday to assist with the incident.
Those aboard the dinghy were subsequently taken onto the lifeboats before being transferred to the Border Force vessel HMC Vigilant at around 5pm.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said those involved would be transferred into the UK’s Border Security Command process.
The extraordinary journey follows another unusually long crossing earlier in September when a dinghy travelling from the Cherbourg area had to be met by lifeboats from the Isle of Wight.
French authorities have previously said departures from this far west along the Normandy coastline remain unusual.
PROTESTERS GATHER IN GOSPORT
Reports surrounding Tuesday’s operation also prompted protesters to gather in Gosport, Hampshire, amid speculation that those rescued could be brought ashore there.
Hundreds of people reportedly gathered near a police cordon at the entrance to a marina.
Gosport MP Dame Caroline Dinenage later said Border Force would instead take those involved in the crossing to Dover by sea.
A government spokesperson said the Border Security Command was operating around the clock to protect the UK’s border and that people arriving aboard small boats would be detained, checked and processed.
The incident comes a day after a separate dinghy reached the Kent coast at Folkestone without being intercepted.
Five people were detained after that vessel reached shore on Monday morning, with the Home Office confirming that an investigation had been launched.
Around 17,480 people have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in small boats during 2026, according to figures reported on Tuesday. That was reported to be around 46% lower than at the equivalent point in 2025.
