1,750 boat migrants arrived last week

THE number of small boat migrants arriving on Britain’s shores has topped 21,000 this year, with 1,758 landing in the past week alone.

- Jonathan Walker

They include 408 people who crossed the Channel illegally on Friday.

Shocking pictures showed flimsy dinghies crammed with more than 50 people each.

The latest figures were revealed after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron planned to step up efforts to fight people-smuggling gangs after meeting at the Elysée Palace in Paris.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The leaders agreed to do more together to dismantle smuggling routes further upstream and increase intelligence sharing.”