Migrants are now smuggled to Britain on small boats as far away as the Netherlands

Dutch authorities intercepted what they believe was the first attempt to smuggle migrants to Britain by small boat from the Netherlands. The incident suggests trafficking networks may be shifting launch points as enforcement increases elsewhere along the Channel coast, posing a wider challenge for UK and European authorities.

A rubber dinghy carrying 38 people was found without an engine off the southern Dutch coast and towed to Cadzand; two Sudanese men were arrested on suspicion of people smuggling and remanded for 14 days. Launches have previously been reported from France and Belgium. UK small-boat arrivals from January to the end of October totalled 21,869, around 40 per cent fewer than in the same period of 2025, while the Home Office said joint operations had stopped more than 50,000 crossing attempts since the general election.