Three Iranian men have been rescued off the coast of the Channel after their small boat got into trouble.

The trio were picked up by the border force vessel HMC Seeker near Hastings in East Sussex after it was alerted by the coastguard at 9.30am on Saturday

They were held two weeks after 18 Albanians had to be rescued from an inflatable boat after it sank off the Kent coast, prompting immigration union officials to say Britain’s coast faces one of its greatest ever breaches from small boats and dinghies carrying refugees.

A border force spokesman said: “HMC Seeker was deployed immediately and has picked up the individuals onboard who are believed to be Iranian nationals. The group will now be processed.”

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said its helicopter from Lydd in Kent and the RNLI lifeboat from Hastings had also been deployed to aid the men.