Coronavirus lockdown doesn’t stop 550 migrants crossing the Channel in cramped rubber dinghies into UK

THE coronavirus pandemic hasn’t stopped at least 550 migrants from crossing the Channel in rubber dinghies since the lockdowns began in France and Britain.

The Government is reportedly not routinely testing new arrivals as Home Office data shows at least 481 migrants – including 14 children – have crossed since the UK’s lockdown began on March 23.

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Another 69 people, including seven children, are believed to have arrived the previous week – when France first went into lockdown on March 17.

On Easter Sunday, UK officials caught 72 migrants, including 25 men and four women when they came ashore near Hastings, East Sussex.

The highest number of migrants intercepted on a single day during lockdown is 95, with 42 crammed into one inflatable dinghy.

The figures only show the ones who were intercepted and do not include people caught on the French side of the Channel and sent back.

All arrivals during lockdown are processed and fingerprinted at Dover docks, The Times reports.

Any migrant displaying symptoms is taken away for isolation, according to the Home Office.

Lucy Moreton of the Immigration Services Union (ISU), which represents border staff told The Times: “On a purely statistical basis, someone has to have brought it over.”

She said people are not tested at the docks, nor when they are moved, and that it was difficult to identify who may have the virus.

She added: “When a Border Force vessel picks these people up, there’s no way of assessing symptoms.

“They are cold, wet and often seasick.”

Crew members wear overalls and gloves, but social distancing is near impossible when rescuing migrants.

The ISU has called for Border Force crews to be routinely tested for coronavirus.

Earlier this month, dozens of migrants, including five children, were caught trying to cross the Channel in four inflatable boats by Border Force officials at Dover.

It comes as an unmanned drone is scanning the Channel for illegal migrants amid coronavirus fears.

The twin-engined 7m craft, with cameras linked to patrol boats, can stay airborne for 20 hours.

Home Office officials confirmed the drone was operating after search patterns appeared on flight-tracking site Flightradar24.

The Home Office told the paper: “Migrants undergo a medical assessment on arrival and are routinely monitored.

“Should it ever be necessary, there are facilities to self-isolate in our asylum accommodation. We remain committed to stopping these illegal crossings.”