Eight migrants had to be rescued at sea on the French side of the Channel.

Authorities there were alerted to people in a small craft in difficulty less than a mile south of Boulogne at 8am GMT last Thursday.

They were picked up by a French coastguard vessel, Kent Online has now learned.

One was found to have mild hypothermia but othewise all were safe and sound.

They were brought to Boulogne at 11.45am GMT and handed to border police.

The information came from the French maritime authority for the Channel and North Sea préfecture maritime de la Manche et de la mer du Nord.

On that same day, on the UK side of the Channel, 19 migrants wer picked up in one small craft.

The French incident adds up to nine incidents in three successive days on both sides of the seaway. These involved a total 119 people.

Incidents concerning migrants on small boats have over the last year occurred on several parts of the Kent coastal area, including Thanet, Dover, Deal, Kingsdown, Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh.

Read more: All the latest news from Kent.