More than 800 people crossed the Channel in small boats on Saturday, the highest number on a single day so far this year. The latest provisional government data put the figure at 872 people in 15 vessels, suggesting an average of about 58 people in each one. The cumulative figure for 2023 now stands at a provisional 20,973. The previous high for a single day this year was on 10 August when 756 people made the crossing. The total for the year so far is still lower than at this time last year, when 25,000 people had made the journey. The record for a single day since current records began in 2018 was 1,295 on 22 August 2022. Saturday’s arrivals mean 1,172 people have made the journey so far this week. Crossings were only seen on two of six days, with 300 people arriving on Tuesday. Figures will be published on Monday for any crossings that took place on Sunday. Total arrivals in 2022 were 45,774, compared with the previously documented 45,755, according to the latest available Home Office data. The average number of people crossing the Channel per small boat also hit a new monthly high in August, when 5,369 people made the journey in 102 vessels, an average of about 53 people in each one. A Home Office spokesperson said: “The unacceptable number of people risking their lives by making these dangerous crossings is placing an unprecedented strain on our asylum system. “Our priority is to stop the boats, and our Small Boats Operational Command is working alongside our French partners and other agencies to disrupt the people smugglers. “The government is going even further through our Illegal Migration Act, which will mean that people arriving in the UK illegally are detained and promptly removed to their country of origin or a safe third country.”