The rest were taken by officers for questioning at Dover. Kent Police said the flotilla included a dinghy which arrived on the shore at nearby Kingsdown at 8.15am. The eight people aboard were passed on to immigration officers. 

Fourteen more suspected migrants were brought into the port on a Border Force vessel. 

And another 34, including five youngsters, were plucked to safety from two dinghies by the authorities and taken ashore. 

A fifth dinghy was intercepted but the number of people on board was not known. 

A Home Office spokesman said: “Border Force is dealing with a number of ongoing small boat incidents. 

“Further details will be provided when the operational response has concluded and the situations have been resolved.” 

It came a day after Home Secretary Priti Patel said she and her French counterpart were working to halt migrants attempting to make the perilous trip across the
Channel. 

On Friday she said urgent action was needed to tackle the crisis, adding that plans were being drawn up “immediately” to deal with the problem. 

Last week Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned illegal migrants they would be sent back if they risked crossing the Channel. 

He said: “If you come illegally, you are an illegal immigrant and I’m afraid the law will treat you as such.” 

The total number of migrants who have made it across the Dover Strait – the world’s busiest shipping lane – has topped 1,000 already this year. 

This is despite millions of pounds being spent on security measures to prevent crossings. 

Of that figure, more than 200 made it from France to Britain in August alone. 

Most of the arrivals claim to be either Iran or Iraq nationals. 

Two people are known to have died trying to cross the Channel in August. 

The toll includes a 48-year-old Iraqi man found dead after trying to swim from France. 

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