Migrants attempting to cross the English Channel to enter the UK via the Kent coast are calling 999 so they can be rescued by the authorities, a committee of MPs has been told.

Kent Police Chief Constable Alan Pughsley said people making the dangerous journey to Britain in small boats "want to be found".

The home affairs select committee was also told they have no fear of being sent back when they land in the UK.

Kent Police Chief Constable Alan Pughsley appears before the home affairs select committee

The hearing this morning was just after two more boats of migrants were rescued from the Channel and brought to Dover.

It brings the total number of people who have arrived in Britain by small craft either by themselves or after being rescued at sea since November 8 to 322 in 38 incidents.

Kent Chief Constable Alan Pughsley told the committee: "There is a significant difference with the migrants that come across in the way we are talking about today.

"They want to be found and helped. On some occasions from their own boats they are phoning 999 and asking for our help.

"There is a significant shift in clandestine migration in the widest sense."

Steve Rodhouse, director-general of operations at the National Crime Agency, also gave evidence about the growing crisis off the Kent coast.

He said: "People are actively seeking being caught or engaging with UK authorities because rightly or wrongly, they don't fear being returned.

"That, I think, is something that is a significant player in the issue here."

He acknowledged the Home Office would argued that a number of people have been sent back and said that was not his area of expertise.

But he said: "I think at the moment it is in the minds of the facilitators and in the minds of those people willing to make the journey that there is a very low risk that they will be returned."

The change in tack from migrants is in stark contrast to the historic methods of hiding in the back of lorries coming into Britain and clambering out miles inland.

A group of suspected migrants off the coast of Dungeness yesterday

The present trend of migrants arriving by dinghy and other small craft continued over the last week.

At around 4.20am on Sunday a mother, father and their five children were found in Kingsdown after their RHIB was spotted off the coast.

The boat was recovered a mile off shore and the family were found by police nearby.

Two more incidents happened yesterday, at 9am and noon, leading to four men being arrested on suspicion of helping migrants enter the UK.

Fifteen men, all of whom claimed to be Iranian, were found on the two vessels, the first of which was brought to Dover shortly after Border Force were alerted at about 9am.

Gillingham and Rainham MP Rehman Chishti speaks on the migrant crossings

Nine men were found and three arrested.

At about midday a second boat was seen off Dungeness.

Six men were on board and one was arrested.

All those not arrested were interviewed by immigration officials.