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Dangerous mega dinghy with record 230 people on board crosses Channel to UK

A record 230 people were crammed onto a dangerous small boat which reached Dover in the early hours of the morning, according to reports

[Image of 230 people on the 'mega-dinghy']

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230 people crossed the channel in a 'mega-dinghy'(Image: Facebook /Station SNSM Berck sur Mer)

A record 230 people were crammed onto a dangerous small boat which reached Dover in the early hours of the morning, according to reports.

The "mega dinghy" had more people on than the previous record 165 people who made the crossing in July. The boat arrived in the UK in the early hours of Monday morning.

An image shared by the SNSM, France's equivalent to the RNLI, showed dozens of people packed on the dinghy with many passengers having to dangle their legs off the side.

[Volunteers next to the dinghy]

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The boat arrived in the UK on Monday morning(Image: Facebook /Station SNSM Berck sur Mer)

The SNSM said "several people were ejected" from the 15-metre inflatable boat. The volunteer group added: "About thirty of them then found themselves in the water while the boat continued on its way.

"With the rising tide, part of the group quickly found themselves isolated. Gendarmes and firefighters intervened to put these people in safety." The volunteer group added that women and children were among those on board.

The government slammed "reckless and dangerous" tactics used by people smugglers after the record breaking crossing. Images showed a large deflated dinghy on the quayside at the Border Security Command compound, in Dover.

[Close up image of people on the mega-dinghy]

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People's legs were seen dangling off the boat(Image: Facebook /Station SNSM Berck sur Mer)

A Home Office spokesperson, following the record breaking crossing, 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.

"We are making progress, with the number of small boat crossings down this year and the lowest number recorded for the month of July since 2020. But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40% more boots on the ground on French beaches."

[A deflated dinghy is seen on the quayside in Dover]

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A deflated dinghy on the quayside in Dover(Image: PA Wire)

The number of people packed onto deadly boats has risen dramatically in recent months, with harrowing images showing people hanging off the edge of vessels making the journey from France to the UK. A dinghy carrying 173 people capsized in the English Channel after its engine caught fire earlier this month.

New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the government has made important steps in stopping crossings, which earlier this month were at their lowest level since 2021.

The PM, at the start of August, pledged to be "relentless", stating: "People want to see this issue addressed. We also need to build a system that offers safe routes for people as well, because that also takes away the selling point of the gangs."

Some 258 migrants arrived in the UK in four boats on Saturday, according to Home Office figures. Despite this, the number of overall arrivals for 2026 has dropped compared with last year.

At the moment, the provisional total for the year so far is 14,819. This is 43% lower than the number recorded by this time last year and down 16% on the same time in 2024.

People smugglers have started to use new mega-dinghies bought from manufacturers in China, the Mirror revealed. These boats are not fit for the open seas but the vessels are still being used to move around 150 migrants at a time.

Katie Sweetingham, Head of Operations at charity Care4Calais, said: "We've heard about the bigger dinghies from the people we support. Its a recent change. It just goes to show that all of the border security measures, largely funded by the UK, dont do their stated aim of stopping the crossings.

"All they do is make people that are organising the crossings change their business model, which is now the larger boats, making it much more dangerous for the people that are attempting crossings."

Previously a Home Office statement said: "This government is bearing down on small boat crossings, with removals of small boat migrants at record levels and asylum claims down by 12%.

"The home secretary has signed a landmark new deal with France to boost enforcement action on beaches and put people smugglers behind bars. This builds on joint work that has stopped over 44,000 attempted crossings since the election."

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