More than 150 migrants have been rescued after their boat caught fire in the English Channel on Tuesday morning, French authorities said. The vessel had left France the previous night attempting to reach the UK, and its occupants initially refused help from French patrol boats before an engine fire caused the boat's condition to deteriorate rapidly. The incident comes a day after Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged his government would be "relentless" in curbing small boat crossings, underscoring the continued risks migrants face making the journey.

French authorities said 157 people in total were rescued, with no reports of injuries or deaths. Two French vessels rescued 103 migrants while British boats, including the RNLI Eastbourne lifeboat and Border Force vessels BSC Contender and BSC Courageous, rescued 54. All those rescued were being taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer for treatment. Separately, figures show 14,526 people crossed the Channel by small boat between 1 January and 1 August 2026, down 43% on the same period last year, though boats now carry an average of 67 people each, more than double the number in 2021.