Malcolm Brabant:

Sunrise on Saturday near Dover, 25 miles across the Channel from France. After weeks of bad weather, the wind had dropped, the sea was flat, creating near perfect conditions for the inflatables used by traffickers to transport the poor and the desperate.

Patrol vessels were out early. The British knew it was going to be hectic. And it wasn't long before the first arrivals were brought ashore at Dover. Almost 1,000 irregular migrants were registered in 24 hours. It was one of the busiest days this year, and pushed the numbers over the 40,000 mark.

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