A record 230 migrants reached the United Kingdom in a single small boat after crossing the English Channel, local media reported Monday. According to the BBC, the vessel arrived in the UK on Saturday. The crossing set a new record for the number of people travelling in one boat.

The previous record was 165 people in a single boat, set in July. The UK Home Office said a total of 258 migrants arrived after crossing the English Channel in four boats on Saturday, meaning the record vessel accounted for most of the day’s arrivals.

A Home Office spokesperson told the BBC that the incident highlighted the “reckless and dangerous tactics” of criminal people-smuggling gangs. The spokesperson said the gangs were putting lives at risk by placing more people than vessels could carry in unsuitable boats. Despite the record number aboard one boat, overall small-boat crossings have fallen this year. Preliminary Home Office data cited by the BBC showed about 14,820 people had reached the UK by small boat so far, 43 percent below the same period last year and 16 percent below the equivalent period in 2024.