40 people brought ashore in Kent as small-boat Channel crossings approach 25,000

Home Office figures also show spending on asylum has risen by 50% in two years and claims are highest for two decades

Women and children were among a group of people brought ashore by an RNLI lifeboat on Saturday as the number of people crossing the Channel this year by small boats neared 25,000.

About 40 people were brought to Dungeness in Kent before they were taken by coach to a Home Office processing facility.