The dinghy was approximately the size of a standard bus

A teenager charged over a small boat Channel crossing was allegedly piloting a "mega dinghy" carrying a record 165 migrants from France to England, the National Crime Agency has said.

Sudanese national Chan Mathok Atak, 19, is accused of endangering another during a journey by sea to the UK on Thursday and is due to appear at Margate Magistrates' Court on Monday.

The number on the dinghy broke the previous record from July, when 128 crossed the Channel from France on one vessel.

According to Home Office figures, more than 13,000 arrivals have been recorded in 2026, which is 45% lower than this time in 2025 and down 18% on the same period in 2024.

Border Security Command was pictured towing a dinghy - estimated to be about the same size as a standard bus at 13m (42ft) long - when it arrived in Dover in Kent on Thursday afternoon.

Home Office figures showed 366 people arrived after crossing in three boats on Thursday during warm, sunny weather and calm conditions at sea.

On Wednesday, 172 people made the journey in three boats, bringing an end to an 11-day hiatus because of windy conditions in the Channel.

Refugee charity Care4Calais said the crossing route was becoming "more and more dangerous" because of the increasing number of people in each boat.

Between 1 January and 13 July 2026, a total of 12,469 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France. This was down by 45% 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 14 July 2025 to 13 July 2026 carried an average of 66 people. This has more than doubled since 2021.

Experts say overcrowding in boats makes crossings riskier. At least 84 people died while attempting to cross the Channel in 2024, according to the United Nations (UN).

When looking at the scale of small boats crossings, the number of these arrivals is about 5% of the size of total immigration into the UK from January 2025 to December 2025.

The government has pledged to “smash the gangs” behind these crossings in order to reduce the numbers.

People from Eritrea accounted for 18% of all arrivals from April 2025 to March 2026.

In the latest figures covering January 2025 to December 2025, at least 2,000 people who arrived by small boat were found to be potential victims of human trafficking or other forms of modern slavery, according to the Home Office.

Another 4,535 people were detected entering the UK without permission via other methods including hiding in vehicles, travelling on ferries or through airports from April 2025 to March 2026. This was down by 22% on the same period the previous year.

There are also individuals who arrive legally, for example via a work or study visa, and then overstay their limit.

The total number of people who live in the UK illegally after arriving legally is not known.

The Home Office said removals of "small boat migrants" were at record levels and asylum claims were down 12%.

"The Home Secretary has signed a landmark new deal with France to boost enforcement action on beaches and put people smugglers behind bars," a Home Office spokesperson added.

"This builds on joint work that has stopped over 44,000 attempted crossings since the election."

"We have removed or deported almost 70,000 people who were here illegally, an increase of 41%, and are going further to remove the incentives that draw illegal migrants to this country."

Many migrants come from some of the poorest, oppressive and most chaotic parts of the world.

They typically ask to claim asylum once they are picked up by the UK authorities.

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Care4Calais