³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

More than 50 migrants were rescued after a boat got into difficulty trying to cross the English Channel.

The boat’s engine failed off the coast of Audresselles in northern France overnight on Monday into Tuesday, the French coastguard said.

A rescue boat took 51 people to Boulogne-sur-Mer, where they were met by emergency services.

Meanwhile, two bodies were found in the Channel on the French side on Tuesday and another near Dover, while three more bodies were found on a beach in Calais and off the coast on Wednesday - it is not known whether they were migrants.

A search was launched after a ferry said it had seen a body adrift off the coast of Calais.

Two bodies were subsequently found by a French patrol boat and taken to shore.

Local authorities are investigating the deaths.

A third body was pulled from the Channel near Dover on Tuesday, Kent Police said.

The man's identity, and whether he was attempting to cross the Channel, are not yet known, and an investigation is under way.

On Wednesday, a body was found on the beach at Calais, according to AFP news agency.

Local maritime officials also reported that two bodies had been found adrift off the city's coast.

It is not known whether any of these individuals were migrants.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Office figures show 263 people crossed the Channel in four boats on Wednesday.

This takes the provisional total for 2024 so far to 31,535.

This is 18% higher than this time last year (26,699) but 21% lower than the same point in 2022 (39,929), a record high year.

Earlier this month, Sir Keir Starmer announced an extra £75m to police the UK's borders in an effort to reduce the number of small boat crossings.