Protesters gather as migrant dinghy heads for south coast

Protesters have again gathered in Gosport amid reports that authorities are preparing for the arrival of a migrant dinghy.

The dinghy was being shadowed by French rescue vessels, but now appears to be in British waters with RNLI boats on the scene, according to ship tracking data.

French media reported there are around 120 migrants on board.

Demonstrators during an anti-migrant protest in Gosport (Trevor Adams/PA)

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Conservative MP for Gosport Caroline Dinenage said there is “nothing to suggest” the boat will be landing in Hampshire but that police are “making preparations should that situation change”.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said it had deployed officers to Gosport to “support our partners in the event of an emergency at sea”.

Ambulances and coaches are also reportedly in the area.

The force has imposed conditions under the Public Order Act as well as powers prohibiting the wearing of face coverings.

Around 100 demonstrators have assembled near Haslar Marina where the atmosphere has mostly remained peaceful.

Some protesters surrounded police vans chanting “shame on you” and “deport the lot”.

There were similar scenes last month when protesters gathered in the area expecting migrants to arrive on a dinghy, but they were ultimately taken to Dover by sea.

The latest dinghy appeared to have set off from near the Utah Beach area of Normandy on Sunday morning.

The dinghy is being shadowed by French rescue vessels (Trevor Adams/PA)

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Departures so far west have been rare in recent years but it is the third such crossing in the space of a month.

A Government spokesperson said: “The Border Security Command works around the clock to monitor the Channel and protect our border. It is vital we continue to detain, check and process every small boat arrival.”

Last month, British rescue boats collected the passengers of a migrant dinghy which had spent around 30 hours at sea after setting off from Normandy.

The 51 migrants, who refused help from the French coastguard, arrived in Dover after being transferred to Border Security Command boats.

It was expected the migrants would be taken to Gosport, with hundreds of protesters gathering after coaches and ambulances were spotted in the area.

Six people were arrested by officers during the evening.

The provisional total for Channel crossings this year is 19,451.

This is down 43% on this time last year and 23% below the figure at this stage in 2024.