Small boat crossings in the summer months have fallen to their lowest level in six years, according to new figures released overnight by the Home Office.
The Home Office says June, July and August are usually among the busiest months of the year, with criminal gangs exploiting calmer seas and better weather. This year, though, the trend has shifted. The department reports that June, July and August, up to 30 August, recorded the lowest combined total of small boat crossings since 2019, and the lowest number of migrant arrivals since 2020.
August saw the sharpest fall. Crossings up to 30 August dropped to their lowest level since records began in 2018, down 46 percent on last year. Migrant arrivals also fell, down 35 percent compared with the same period in 2025. July recorded the fewest crossings of any July since 2019, down 64 percent on 2025, with migrant arrivals down 58 percent on last year. June followed the same pattern, with crossings at their lowest level since 2019, down 50 percent on 2025, and migrant arrivals down 47 percent on last year.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said:
This Government is committed to restoring order at our border. This work is beginning to bear fruit, with June, July and August recording the lowest number of small boat crossings in seven years. But we know there is more to do. We will be relentless in targeting the criminal gangs behind these crossings, and we will continue to remove the incentives that draw people here on unsafe and illegal routes.