Skip to contentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.Subscribe`; document.body.appendChild(modal); modal.addEventListener('click', () => { document.cookie = 'mos-plan-select=; Max-Age=0; path=/; expires=Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 UTC;'; }); modal.querySelector('.subscribe-link')?.addEventListener('click', (e) => { e.preventDefault(); document.cookie = 'mos-plan-select=; Max-Age=0; path=/; expires=Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 UTC;'; setTimeout(() => { window.location.href = 'https://www.independent.co.uk/subscribe/app'; }, 500); });});]]>George LithgowTuesday 22 September 2026 17:06 BSTBritish rescue vessels and an HM Coastguard aircraft have been deployed to intercept a migrant dinghy that spent roughly 30 hours at sea after leaving Normandy.The Maritime and Coastguard Agency stated that the migrants picked up from the Channel will be safely transferred to UK Border Force.Small boat departures from as far west as Normandy are rare, with the journey being one of the longest attempted Channel crossings.The incident follows the arrival of another migrant boat at Folkestone on Monday, marking the first undetected landing on the UK coast in a year.Defence minister Luke Pollard insisted that UK borders are secure, adding that a Home Office investigation is under way into how the Folkestone boat avoided detection.In fullRNLI lifeboats sent to rescue migrant dinghy which has spent 30 hours in ChannelMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in