Sixteen suspected migrants on three separate vessels have been picked up by British authorities after crossing the English Channel on Sunday morning, as fears mount that more people will try to reach the UK this week.

Two of the dinghies made landfall on the Kent coast, at Kingsdown and Warren, with a total of eight men presenting themselves as Iranian or Iraqi.

A third boat, carrying eight men was intercepted by Border Force officials heading towards Dover and was escorted by CPV Speedwell into the port.

All sixteen received a medical assessment and have now been transferred to immigration officials for interview.

The crossings are understood to have frustrated officials on both sides of the Channel, who have bolstered their presence in the busy waterway this year.