Migrant in his 20s is attacked moments after coming ashore in a dinghy on a Kent beach
- A man, thought to be in his 20s, was assaulted after arriving on the Kent coast
- Assailant watched dinghy land on a beach near Deal before launching assault
- The man was not seriously injured but police are on the hunt for the attacker
A migrant was attacked on a Kent beach just moments after landing onshore in a dinghy on Sunday.
The man, thought to be in his 20s and from the Middle East, was set upon by an unknown assailant who watched the boat arrive on the beach near Deal.
It is thought to be the first assault on a migrant arriving on the Kent coast.
Police said the victim was not injured but a search for the attacker has begun, according to The Times.
Natalie Elphicke, the Conservative MP for Dover & Deal, condemned the attack. ‘While urgent action is needed by the French and the Home Office, there is no excuse for violence or vigilante behaviour,’ she said.
Police were called at around 11.05am on Sunday after the attack in Kingsdown near Deal in Kent.
The man, thought to be in his 20s and from the Middle East, was set upon by an unknown assailant who watched the boat arrive on the beach near Deal. Pictured, migrants arriving at Dover on Monday
The force said: ‘Officers attended to ensure the welfare of the man, who was not seriously injured and did not require hospital treatment.
‘Inquiries to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and the identity of the person responsible are ongoing.’
Hundreds of migrants have been landing on the Kent coast in recent weeks as warm weather and calm sea conditions encouraged them to travel in small boats from France.
On Monday a five-year-old girl was among 17 migrants to arrive in Dover on the 14th consecutive day of Channel crossings as it was revealed smugglers offer ‘gold, silver and bronze’ packages to desperate passengers.
The previous day 112 migrants arrived at Kent’s shores, bringing the total for this month so far up to at least 1,232 – smashing July’s record 1,118 arrivals.
Traffickers take advantage of vulnerable asylum seekers desperately fleeing their homelands by offering the paid-for arrangement at a camp in Calais.
Hundreds of migrants have been landing on the Kent coast in recent weeks as warm weather and calm sea conditions encouraged them over from France. Pictured, UK border force officials with migrants on August 15
The most expensive package, gold, costs £10,000 and means you get a larger boat with better conditions, less other people and lifejackets, as reported by The Sun.
One migrant who was hoping to make the journey in the next few days told the newspaper: ‘The prices vary. It depends on the size of the boat and how many people are inside.
‘People come around offering the crossings. We pay and keep in touch. They tell us when and where to go and pick us up.
‘I’m looking forward to it. Britain is like heaven to me!’
The silver package costs between £3,000 and £5,000, and means you get a worse boat. And the lowest package, bronze, means you pay a prize of £1,000 or less and are often crammed onto a stolen boat.
Seventeen migrants, including one child, were found off the coast of Dover by a Border Force Vessel Hunter on Monday
Dan O’Mahoney, Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, said other countries caps’ make it difficult to send refugees back, if they don’t have a legitimate asylum claim to stay in the UK.
He said: ‘It is a fact that these crossings are illegally facilitated by criminals who are making money exploiting migrants desperate to come to our country.’
Meanwhile Kent County Council no longer have capacity for unaccompanied migrant children.
Roger Gough, the leader of Kent county council, said on Sunday that more unaccompanied migrant children arriving over the weekend had ‘tipped the balance’ in the area.
Large numbers of migrant children reaching the UK led to an ‘unthinkable’ situation where the council said it ‘cannot safely accommodate any more new arrivals’.
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