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Migrants seen climbing sea wall in Kingsdown on day calls for France to crackdown on crisis are made

By: Amy Nickalls anickalls@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 10:38, 08 August 2020

Updated: 11:10, 08 August 2020

A picture has emerged of migrants climbing the sea wall in Kingsdown on the same day calls for France to tackle the crisis have been made.

A witness said one woman was claiming to be in labour and another is carrying a tiny baby.

Migrants climbing the sea wall at Kingsdown

This week at least 400 people have made the crossing from France to Dover. Thursday was a record day with 235 migrants arriving on 17 boats.

A further 130 traversed the channel yesterday in 13 boats.

Immigration minister Chris Philip is due to meet his French counterparts next week to work out what can be done and is expected to call for migrants caught trying to cross to be fingerprinted and face "real consequences".

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Writing in the Daily Telegraph he said: “Shutting down this route completely will mean illegal migrants no longer have any reason to flock to northern France – meaning no more camps near Calais and no criminal gangs operating with impunity on French soil. And illegal migrants need to be fingerprinted so they know that, once detected, they face real consequences if they try to cross again.”

Former Labour home secretary Jack Straw has since said and plans to 'push back' could be fatal.

Watch Border Force bring boats of migrants into Dover

Our reporter, Beth Robson, witnessed boats arriving in Dover yesterday, the same day the home secretary said the Navy would be brought in to tackle the crisis.

She saw one small child clap his hands in relief as the boat makes it to the dock.

Beth said: "From what I saw at the Marina today Ms Patel's threats that Royal Navy assets may be deployed have had no impact on migrants' momentum.

"It seems despite threats of Naval intervention, and the perilous 23-mile journeys across the world's busiest shipping lanes, the small boats will keep on coming."

KCC leader Roger Gough has said 400 children have been taken in to the council's care this year, including 60 in just the first week of August.

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