(BBC) Young children are believed to have been on board boatloads of migrants picked up off the coast of Kent.
Pictures show Border Force officers lifting children out of boats at the Port of Dover.
The coastguard has been co-ordinating the response following reports that up to 20 vessels have attempted to cross the English Channel.
More than 2,900 people have reached the UK in about 220 small boats this year, according to BBC research.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said it had dealt with “a significant number of incidents off Kent, working with Border Force and other partners.”
