Kent council reaches limit for number of child migrants it can look after as number of refugees to make dangerous Channel crossing this month passes 1,000

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Kent County Council leader Roger Gough

Kent County Council has warned it has 'reached the limit' for the number of unaccompanied child migrants it can look after - after the amount of people crossing the channel hit 1,000 for this month.

Council leader Roger Gough and Sue Chandler, the cabinet member for integrated children's services, said it had again reached an unsafe capacity.

They added it would no longer be able to accept any new unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) from June 14, just 10 months after it had to take similar action.

Mr Gough said: 'I am profoundly saddened to be in this unthinkable position once again in such a short period of time.

'Despite warnings, and continued dialogue with government, Kent's UASC support resources are again significantly overwhelmed,' Mr Gough said.

On Thursday, the Home Office announced measures to encourage more local authorities around the UK to take in child migrants who arrive unaccompanied.

The council has previously threatened legal action against the Home Secretary over the 'extreme pressure' on its services and said it was still waiting on a response from Priti Patel before considering its next steps.

Mr Gough said that after taking advice from its Director of Children's Services, the council would 'no longer be able meet our statutory duty to safely care for the children we support' and no further arrivals could be accepted until 'sufficient transfers have been made outside of Kent bringing our numbers back to safe levels'. 

The intercepted migrants huddle in a boat as they are taken to the shore yesterday in Kent

More migrants arriving in Dover, after the Home Office said 179 people made the crossing

The council said the government's recommended maximum number of under 18-year-old UASC that Kent should care for is 231.

Kent's number of under-18 UASC in care has risen from 274 to more than 400 since the beginning of the year and the numbers are rapidly increasing on a daily basis, according to KCC.

The council said it is also dealing with 1,100 UASC care leavers over 18 who remain in care with the council until the age of 25.

Mr Gough said: 'If every other local authority in the UK were to take two or three under 18-year-old UASC who arrive at Dover into their care, Kent's numbers would reduce to the council's safe allocation immediately. This remains, a small problem for the nation to resolve but a huge and unreasonable responsibility for Kent.'

The council suggested the National Transfer Scheme had failed to meet the purpose the Home Office created it for in 2016, to keep pace with the rate of arrivals and provide timely transfers.

It called for a robust mandatory National Transfer Scheme for all local authorities.

A Home Office spokesman said: 'The Home Office is grateful for the role Kent County Council has played in supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and we have provided them with substantial operational support, including transferring those in need of support to other local authorities in the UK.

'We recently announced vital updates to the National Transfer Scheme to alleviate pressures on certain areas and continue to work closely across Government on provision for unaccompanied minors.' 

People aboard small boats were pictured being taken to UK shores by Border Force officials 

People crossing to Dover being taken to a holding facility by Border Force officials yesterday 

A man who made the Channel crossing today huddled in a blanket, as temperatures soared 

It came as more than 1,000 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats this month. 

Border Force officials intercepted 179 people including children and a baby making the dangerous 21-mile journey in six boats yesterday, and 10 more arrived at the Dover Marina yesterday. 

It took the total to cross the Dover Strait during the first nine days of the month to 1,008 people on board 41 boats.

Just 407 made the treacherous trip in the same timeframe last month - with May ending up smashing the monthly record as 1,619 migrants arrived in 80 boats. 

French authorities also prevented a further 95 people from arriving yesterday in five boats, according to the Home Office.

Border Force are believed to be preparing for an influx of migrants over the next few days due to near perfect weather conditions at sea, as Dover temperatures hit 66F today. 

So far this year, 4,725 migrants have crossed the Channel, and 8,410 made the journey in 2020.

A Home Office spokesman said: 'Criminal gangs are putting profits before people's lives through these dangerous and unnecessary crossings.

'More than 4,000 people have been prevented from making the dangerous crossing so far this year and we are cracking down on the despicable criminal gangs behind people smuggling.

'Inaction is not an option whilst people are dying. The Government is bringing legislation forward through our New Plan for Immigration which will break the business model of these heinous people smuggling networks and save lives.'  

A border force vessel carries newly arrived migrants after being picked up in a dinghy in the English Channel yesterday

A Border Force official holds a young girl that arrived with other migrants after they were picked up in a dinghy yesterday

An official guided newly arrived migrants to a holding facility after they were picked up in a dinghy 

The UK has been enjoying a mini-heatwave, which sent temperatures soaring to 82.4F yesterday. 

It comes after a Border Force union official warned cross-channel migrants are bringing high levels of Covid with them when they arrive in the UK.

One official was seen holding a young girl who arrived in the UK, while another held a newborn baby which arrived with the other migrants.  

Lucy Moreton, of the Immigration Services Union, said that staff were reporting between five and 10 arrivals every day were testing positive upon arrival.  

But because the migrants are often crammed onto tiny boats to make the dash a cross from the Continent they were risking spreading the virus to many others.   

It comes after a Border Force union official warned cross-channel migrants are bringing high levels of Covid with them when they arrive in the UK

More than 500 migrants arrived in the final week of May, according to the UK Home Office, adding that 3,600 people had been stopped from crossing the channel by French authorities

One official was seen holding a young girl who arrived in Dover yesterday

Another held a newborn baby wrapped in a blue blanket which arrived with the other migrants yesterday

It came as Home Secretary Priti Patel came under pressure to sort out the crisis at the UK's borders as the high season for Channel crossings gets underway.

This year the number of arrivals expected to reach the south coast from France will far outstrip last year's 8,400 if current rates continue.

Ms Moreton told the Times: 'We have positive arrivals all the time, putting staff and migrants at risk of infection. 

Lucy Moreton, of the Immigration Services Union, said that staff were reporting between five and 10 arrivals every day were testing positive upon arrival (pictured: Border Force officials guide newly arrived migrants) 

This year the number of arrivals expected to reach the south coast from France will far outstrip last year's 8,400 if current rates continue (pictured: A Border Force official holds a young girl that arrived with other migrants after they were picked up in a dinghy) 

Dinghies were pictured stacked up while Border Force officials guide newly arrived migrants to a holding facility 

'We have a handful, between five and 10 a day, testing positive, but anyone who has been in close contact with them - and that could be a lot, because of overcrowding - risks catching the virus.'

It's believed that the infection rate among arrivals could be around three per cent, compared to the UK population rate of 0.16 per cent, the Times reported. 

However the Home Office denied that recent arrivals had brought Covid with them, with a spokeswoman today saying: 'These numbers are completely wrong.

Because the migrants are often crammed onto tiny boats to make the dash a cross from the Continent they risk spreading the virus to many others

Border Force officials guide a pregnant lady ahead of other newly arrived migrants to a holding facility after being picked up in a dinghy in the English Channel

Lucy Moreton, of the Immigration Services Union, said that staff were reporting between five and 10 arrivals every day were testing positive upon arrival.

'In May and so far in June no migrants arriving via small boat have received a positive Covid test. 

'Testing is in place to reduce the risk of infection for staff, contractors and small boat arrivals who might come into contact with other arrivals the same day who are Covid positive.' 

Some 250 minors have made the dangerous journey across the Channel this year so far, including 50 over the recent Bank Holiday weekend. They include large numbers of unaccompanied girls, leaving local authorities fearful that they will be targeted by criminal gangs.

Priti Patel has ordered social media giants including Facebook and Twitter to remove posts that 'glamorise' illegal Channel crossings

At least 4,300 migrants have landed in the country this year so far. The annual total is expected to exceed the 8,400 who made the journey in 2020 

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, following a small boat incident in the Channel at the weekend

A view of boats used by people thought to be migrants, being stored at a warehouse facility in Dover, Kent

The numbers of migrants risking the dangerous journey are rising despite Ms Patel's pledge in March to overhaul the immigration system and to make illegal Channel crossings 'unviable'.  

The Home Secretary blamed the spiralling crisis on social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter who allow people-smugglers to use their platforms to advertise their criminal services. 

 One video showing migrants travelling from Calais to Dover has been seen more than 800,000 on Chinese-owned TikTok. 

In the strongly worded letter which has been seen by this newspaper, Ms Patel asks the internet giants to 'put an end to the exploitation of your platforms by criminals involved in organised immigration crime' as more people than ever are making 'incredibly dangerous journeys across the Channel'. 

At the weekend, Ms Patel ordered an urgent investigation after a Border Force boat brought dinghy migrants from French waters to Dover.

The UK's 140ft cutter Valiant headed to the French side of the Channel and launched a fast inflatable boat to collect migrants and take them to Dover after discussions with local authorities.

The incident  at the end of May was orchestrated between senior crew members of HMC Valiant and French patrol ship Athos.

During a revealing maritime radio conversation, a recording of which was obtained by the Mail this week, the officers discuss the 'legality' of the operation.