Six men have been rescued from a boat off the coast of Kent, south east England, with reports suggesting they could have been migrants trying to sneak into the country on a dinghy.
Border Force cutter HMS Valient and a rescue helicopter were called to the scene at 5.40am this morning, with locals telling Kent Online the men were brought to shore.
A spokesman for the Home Office said:
“The Maritime and Coastguard Agency was alerted to the presence of a small boat off the coast of Kent.
“The MCA search and rescue helicopter and a Border Force cutter were deployed to the scene.
“Six men were recovered from the boat and are due to be interviewed by Border Force officers.”
The men were travelling in a small, orange vessel and are now being interviewed by UK border officials.
Local MP Charlie Elphicke told The Express: “This is just another example of why we urgently need a new Dover Patrol guarding the English Channel.
“The evil people traffickers are winning the war. They must be stopped. Sooner or later there will be a terrible tragedy.
“The Government needs to take back control of the Channel and restore order at the border.”
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