More than 1,000 asylum seekers have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year.

The high figure comes in the first three months of 2021 despite a vow from the Home Office to crack down on the clandestine crossings.

The worrying milestone was reached on the day Home Secretary Priti Patel unveiled what she called “the most significant overhaul of our asylum system in decades".

Her plans have been questioned by experts, and some refugees living in the UK fear the proposals could “punish” people seeking safety.

It came after Border Force and Kent County Council reached crisis point last June and July when people were arriving in their hundreds per day amid a summer heatwave.

Data compiled by the PA News Agency reveals 60 small boats made the perilous crossings towards the Kent shore this year.

This is more than double the figure for the same time last year, when it took until late April for the 1,000th person to reach the UK.

On Tuesday at least 183 people crossed the Dover Strait, the Home Office said.

While this is the highest daily figure so far in 2021, it is still much lower than last year’s peak of 416.

On Wednesday at least 67 people succeeded in reaching the UK, taking the number for the year above 1,000.

In 2020 more than 8,400 asylum seekers journeyed to the UK aboard small boats despite the dangers involved.

Support groups have criticised the routes for applying for asylum, saying they force desperate people to risk their lives to reach the UK because they have to be in the country to apply to live here.

On Sunday, immigration minister Chris Philp said: “These dangerous crossings are facilitated by serious organised criminals exploiting people and profiting from human misery.

“We are building a new asylum system which is fair but firm, which will offer protection to those in genuine need through official routes while cracking down on those who enter the UK illegally and the abhorrent gangs who enable it.”

Read more: All the latest news from Dover