Two Britons Charged After Channel Boat Rescue

Two British men have been charged with immigration offences after a boat with 18 Albanians on board was rescued off the Kent coast.

Mark Stribling, 35, from Farningham, Kent, and Robert Stilwell, 33, from Dartford, appeared at Medway Magistrates' Court to face charges under Section 25 (1) of the Immigration Act 1971.

The pair were remanded in custody until the next hearing, at Maidstone Crown Court on 27 June.

The coastguard, RNLI and two Border Force boats were involved in the rescue after the rigid-hulled inflatable got into difficulties off the coast of Dymchurch on Saturday night.

Two British men were also rescued alongside the Albanians. They were handed to Border Force officers and taken to Dover for questioning.

Two children were among those on board.

A similar inflatable boat was later discovered on the beach in Dymchurch.

A link to the other vessel has not yet been confirmed, but president of the French coastguard Bernard Barron told Sky News it was unsuitable for crossing the Channel.

He said a tragedy could take place if packed boats try to navigate a "sea filled with danger" - such as busy shipping lanes and strong currents.

Damian Collins, Conservative MP for Folkestone and Hythe, told Sky News authorities must be "alert to an increased risk" of people trying to illegally get into the UK on small boats.

But he denied there were not enough boats to patrol more than 7,000 miles of UK coastline.

It comes after reports just three Border Force ships are available because others are deployed in the Mediterranean to help the migrant crisis.

"The risk at sea really is in this corner of the country and that's where the resources are being deployed to - but we have to keep all of this under review," said Mr Collins.