Some 1,776 migrants have crossed the Channel since Christmas Day, heaping fresh pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to end the crisis.

At least three migrants died in the Channel off northern France on Sunday as a group of around 50 people tried to set off in a small boat heading for Britain, authorities said.

On Christmas Day, more than 450 migrants arrived in the UK on 11 small boats, and a further 400 people made the journey on Boxing Day.

More than 150,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in the last seven years. Since the current records began on January 1, 2018, 150,243 people have made the journey, according to PA news agency analysis of government figures on Friday.

Migrants have continued to cross the English Channel throughout the Christmas period amid calm seas and foggy visibility.

At least three migrants have died while attempting to cross the English Channel to Britain from northern France, authorities said.

The deaths, which occurred in French waters, are the first in the Channel since October and bring the total number of people who have died attempting the crossing this year to at

At least three people have died attempting to cross the Channel in small boats, French authorities have confirmed. A large-scale rescue operation off the coast of Sangatte, near Calais, began early on Sunday after reports around 50 people had struggled to board a boat.

Three people have died attempting to cross the English Channel in a small boat on Sunday morning, the French coastguard says. People ended up in the water after trying to board a boat off the coast of Sangatte,

The Prime Minister has put international co-operation with law enforcement agencies in Europe at the heart of his bid to cut the number of arrivals.

At least three men died attempting to cross the Channel in small boats on Sunday, French media have reported, quoting local officials. Local activists said they found at 6am on the beach dozens of people who appeared wet and suffering from hypothermia.