The number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the English Channel has topped 25,000 in record time.
Some 898 migrants crossed the Channel in 13 boats on Wednesday, bringing the total for 2025 so far to 25,436, according to Home Office figures.
This is up 51% on this point last year (16,842) and 73% higher than at this stage in 2023 (14,732), according to PA news agency analysis.
It is the earliest point in a calendar year at which the 25,000 mark has been passed since data on Channel crossings was first reported in 2018.
Last year, the 25,000 mark was passed on September 22, whilst in 2023 it was reached on October 2.
The average for 2025 is currently running at 59 people per boat, the highest on record, up from 53 in 2024 and 49 in 2023. On some days this year, the average has been as high as 75 people per vessel.
The Government says it is continuing its attempts to curb the crossings, including agreeing a migrant returns deal with France earlier this month.
A pilot of the "one in, one out" agreement, where the UK will for the first time be able to send migrants back to France in exchange for asylum seekers with links to Britain, has not yet begun.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the deal will "not even make a dent", as he warned the record Channel crossings "is now a national emergency".
"2025 is the worst year on record so far and the Labour Government are doing nothing to stop the crossings," he said.
A Home Office spokesperson said the Government has a "serious plan" to tackle criminal networks behind the crossings.
Meanwhile, an extra 400 spaces are being prepared to house male asylum seekers at RAF Wethersfield in Essex.
It is understood more adult migrants will be moved into the former military site, which has a usual capacity of 800 beds, on a short-term basis.
A Home Office spokesman said: "All use of property or sites under our ownership is carried out in accordance with relevant planning permissions, and we work together with local authorities and other stakeholders to ensure the accommodation estate is continuously reviewed and managed safely and effectively at all times."
Essex tensions
The move follows a series of demonstrations outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping since July 13, after an asylum seeker was charged with allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl.
On Wednesday, local political leaders urged the Home Secretary to make The Bell Hotel in Essex a "priority for urgent closure", citing community tensions that have put a strain on policing.
Essex Police said 14 people have been charged in connection with protests at the site and there have been 23 arrests.
(PA/London) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
