It’s a matter of time before a migrant’s body washes up on British shores | Benny Hunter

People are risking their lives by crossing the Channel in dinghies. A hostile UK government must share blame for this calamity

A little girl looks out at the approaching rescue boat from inside her oversized lifejacket. Her family, huddled around her in the darkness, cling to the edges of the dinghy as it is buffeted by the waves. They are lucky to have been spotted and lucky to have survived the crossing. These nine people, including four young children, are the latest to reach Britain in what has been described as a “new” phenomenon of migrants taking to the English Channel in small boats not fit for travel.

In the past month alone, 110 people have crossed the English Channel into British waters. With more than 400 commercial ships passing through the Dover Strait every day, it is the busiest shipping thoroughfare in the world. Travelling with youngsters, in the fog and at night, packed into tiny rubber dinghies, these people are putting their lives in extreme danger.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2zx5pHB