For more than a month, persistent bad weather has kept small boats from making the perilous journey in significant numbers.

Due to a break in the weather late Saturday, criminal people-smuggling gangs in France began pushing small boats away from beaches.

The majority of the boats took off from Gravelines, near Dunkirk.

The boats were being followed by French naval vessels, which have a policy of not intervening to intercept the inflatables once they enter the water.

The French authorities only intervene if the small boats encounter problems before reaching UK waters.

Around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, the first small boat entered the water at Gravelines.

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The Border Force vessel Volunteer delivered the first batch of approximately 40 people to the Dover processing centre shortly after 1 a.m.

They were the first migrants to cross the Channel since 106 people were taken off two small boats in UK waters last Tuesday.

The previous arrivals were on 2 January, when 44 migrants made it across in a single small boat despite poor weather conditions.

Authorities are bracing for thousands of people to attempt the crossing in the coming days, as the calmer weather is expected to last until Wednesday.

Three Border Force catamarans, two RNLI lifeboats, a coastguard plane, and another British military surveillance aircraft were involved in today’s Channel operations.

Three French naval vessels also assisted in escorting the small boats as they approached UK waters.

Several more small boats were intercepted late at night and their occupants were taken aboard British vessels.

Around 7:30 a.m., the Border Force catamarans Ranger and Hurricane arrived at Dover Harbour to unload dozens more migrants for processing at the Border Force facility there.

The arrival of around 300 people today on 8 small boats brings the total number of people who have crossed since the New Year to around 450.

A record 45,756 migrants crossed the English Channel last year.

Officials at the Home Office are expecting up to double that number to arrive this year.

However, much will depend on the weather conditions in the Channel in the coming months.

Last year, officials anticipated up to 60,000 visitors. However, bad weather in the last two months of the year prevented that worst-case scenario from occurring.

The Home Office will take over control of Channel migrant operations from the military at the end of this month, under a new Small Boats Command.

The new command will see an additional 700 Border Force officers based in Kent, as well as the National Crime Agency and the military working together to combat the crisis in a more coordinated manner.

Today, in the largest day of illegal migrant crossings so far this year, at least 300 individuals crossed the English Channel in eight tiny boats.

Several additional tiny boats are said to have left this morning but have not yet arrived in British seas.

For more than a month, persistent poor weather has kept small boats from completing the perilous trek in considerable numbers.

Due to a break in the weather late on Saturday, illegal people smuggling organisations in France began pulling small boats away from beaches.

The majority of the boats launched from Gravelines, near Dunkirk.

The boats were accompanied by French navy warships, which have a policy of not interfering to intercept the inflatables once they enter the sea.

The French authorities will only interfere if the tiny boats encounter problems before reaching UK seas.

On Saturday, at 7:30 p.m., the first tiny boat entered the sea near Gravelines.

It arrived in UK waters at midnight and all on board were apprehended by UK Border Force.

The Border Force vessel Volunteer transported the first batch of around 40 passengers to the Dover processing centre just after 1 a.m.

They were the first migrants to cross the Channel since 106 people were rescued from two tiny boats in UK seas on Tuesday.

The previous arrivals were on 2 January, when 44 migrants crossed it over in one tiny boat despite bad weather.

Authorities are bracing for thousands of people to attempt the crossing in the coming days, since calmer weather is predicted to linger until Wednesday.

Three Border Force catamarans, two RNLI lifeboats, a coastguard plane, and another British military surveillance aircraft participated in today’s activities in the Channel.

Three French navy warships also escorted the tiny boats as they approached UK seas.

Several additional small boats were seized late at night and its occupants were transferred to British warships.

Around 7:30 a.m., the Border Force catamarans Ranger and Hurricane arrived in Dover Harbour to discharge scores more migrants for processing at the Border Force facilities there.

So far today, over 300 individuals have arrived aboard 8 small boats, bringing the total number of persons who have crossed since the New Year to around 450.

A record number of 45,756 migrants crossed the English Channel last year.

Officials at the Home Office anticipate up to treble that amount arriving this year.

However, much will rely on the weather in the Channel in the coming months.

Last year, authorities had anticipated up to 60,000 visitors. However, inclement weather in the latter two months of the year prevented the worst-case scenario from occurring.

The Home Office will take over leadership of Channel migrant operations from the military at the end of this month, under the auspices of a new Small Boats Command.

The new command will see an additional 700 Border Force personnel based in Kent, as well as the National Crime Agency and the military working together to address the situation in a more coordinated manner.