17 January 2023

No Channel migrant crossings recorded for two weeks

17 January 2023

Migrants have not crossed the Channel to the UK for 14 days – the longest stretch without any arrivals for nine months.

No crossings have been recorded by the Ministry of Defence since January 2, when 44 people made the journey in one boat in the only crossing of the year so far.

It is the longest uninterrupted period without migrant crossings since a 13-day hiatus was recorded between March 29 and April 10 last year, analysis of government figures by the PA news agency shows.

The second longest continuous break in activity was 11 days from November 15 to November 25.

Government officials previously suggested any drop in crossings over the winter could be seasonal and linked to weather conditions, with numbers expected to rise again in the spring.

Meanwhile, separate figures published on Tuesday show the number of diphtheria cases among asylum seekers reported in England stands at 73.

No new cases have so far been recorded in 2023, according to UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data to January 15.

Asylum seekers with symptoms of the highly-contagious disease are being put into isolation amid an increase in the number of infections among those coming to the UK.

But ministers and health officials have insisted the risk of the public getting diphtheria is very low and infections are rare.

The best videos delivered daily

Watch the stories that matter, right from your inbox