More than 5000 migrants have now risked their lives in small boats to get to the UK this year

More than 5000 migrants have made the journey across the English channel this year, with 800 crossing this Easter bank holiday weekend.

791 people made the journey from Saturday, March 30 to Sunday, March 31, according to Home Office figures.

The previous record high figure for January to March was 4,548, with 3,793 arriving in the first four months of last year.

In one of his five pledges, UK prime minister Rishi Sunak said he had planned to ‘stop the boats’ ahead of an expected general election later this year

This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.

Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.