DOZENS of cabins set to house illegal migrants have been erected at a former RAF base in Lincolnshire, once home to the Red Arrows.
The cabins at RAF Scampton are set to house 2,000 small boat arrivals – despite fierce local opposition.
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It comes as new figures show small boat crossings are up 13 per cent on this time last year.
In a blow to Rishi Sunak, 1,335 illegal migrants arrived on British shores in January.
This time last year a smaller 1,180 made the perilous journey.
On Wednesday alone 278 migrants crammed into just six dinghies to cross the channel.
Downing Street this week said there were “variations” in the number of crossings taking place but insisted it’s “too early to say what the trend is for this year”.
No10 added that the PM is committed to stopping the boats.
A spokesperson said: “On the rolling 12-month stats we’re still down significantly and there is a great deal of work going on with our French counterparts.
“Yesterday we talked about getting more drones in the air on the French side and I’m sure there will be further work both with France and at the EU level as well.”
On Tuesday Home Secretary James Cleverly met his French counterpart, Gerald Darmanin, for small boat talks in Paris.
The pair agreed to expand the use of drones in sky patrols to catch migrants boarding illegal vessels.
The total number of small boats in 2023 was 29,437, 36 per cent lower than 2022.
But it was still the second highest annual total on record, above the figure for 2021.
The Home Office said: “Our priority is to stop the boats, which is why we have taken robust action to crack down on vile people smuggling gangs, deter migrants from making dangerous crossings and, alongside our French counterparts, intercept vessels.”
