// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Record 230 people cross Channel in one small boat
The boat arrived in the UK in the early hours of Monday
A small boat has crossed the English Channel carrying 230 people, the largest-ever recorded number to make the journey in a single vessel.
The boat arrived in the UK in the early hours of Monday.
The 230 people on one boat breaks the previous record from July when 165 people made the crossing on a single vessel.
A Home Office spokesperson said this latest incident demonstrated the "reckless and dangerous tactics employed by criminal gangs... who continue to put lives at risk by cramming ever greater numbers of people onto unseaworthy vessels".
Between 1 January and 3 August 2026, a total of 14,561 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France. This was down by 43% on the same period the previous year.
These crossings have become the most common way for people to be detected entering the UK illegally since 2020.
Nearly all those who arrive by small boat claim asylum. Under international law, this means they are allowed to stay in the country while their asylum application is considered.
Small boat arrivals made up 42% of asylum applications between April 2025 to March 2026.
Boats that arrived in the UK from 4 August 2025 to 3 August 2026 carried an average of 67 people. This has more than doubled since 2021.