
RNLI releases footage of moment crews pulled 19 migrants from the sea as charity defends Channel rescues after 'taxi service' claims
Footage shows a group of screaming men thrashing around in the sea as RNLI volunteers throw mini life jackets - known as horseshoes - in their direction.
The migrants - who are wearing little more than t-shirts - are then seen clambering up the side of the boat before being hauled aboard.
One crew member, Dan Sinclair, said in the video: 'These people genuinely need our help. They are in distress. They have been in this situation for potentially hours on end and have become frozen - almost paralysed in position.'
The RNLI released the footage - filmed at 4.50am in August 2023 - as it defended its 'compassionate' small boat rescues, adding that the 114 it carried out last year amounted to just 1.2 per cent of total launches and led to 58 lives being saved.
All 19 people rescued by the RNLI in this incident survived, but six people pulled out of the sea died after being pulled from the sea by other attending vessels.
Lifeboat crew members - who are overwhelmingly volunteers - said they would continue to attend any incident the Coastguard sends them to and will go to the aid of anyone in trouble at sea.
Nigel Farage previously hit out at the RNLI by claiming it had become 'a taxi service for illegal immigration'.
Nearly 24,000 small boat migrants have arrived in the UK so far this year - sparking widespread public fury. Crossings continued today, with migrants seen running across a beach in northern France to pile onto an overcrowded dinghy.
Paula Lain, who works as a management consultant when she is not volunteering for the RNLI, told the BBC: 'When our pager goes, we're not thinking about anything political.
'We're all thinking about people. We're actively compassionate. That's what drives us beyond any moral or civic responsibility.
'When we're tasked, we don't know what we're going to be tasked to. We're there to help people in their most distressing times.'
The August 2023 incident shown in the footage was described as one of the RNLI's 'most challenging' rescues yet.
Many of the migrants swam directly to the lifeboat as soon as they spotted it and were pulled on board - joining 68 people who had already been rescued from another dinghy.
Some needed immediate medical attention and others collapsed with sheer exhaustion when they got to safety.
RNLI crew members said they have been accused of facilitating illegal immigration, but Mr Sinclair defended their work.
The beach at Gravelines is a common departure point for migrants. French police have been heavily criticised for failing to stop the departures
Recalling one recent rescue, he told the BBC: 'There was a little girl on that boat.
'When we took that little girl - who was probably four years old - off that boat, she looked at me straight in the eye and she said 'Thank you. I love you.'
'Now, as a father that went straight through my heart. I know I am in the right place at the right time and I am doing exactly what I should be doing.'
Photos taken this morning on a beach in Gravelines in northern France showed groups of migrants wading through waves towards a smuggler's dinghy, which already appeared to be dangerously overcrowded.
Officials are now planning to use AI to check migrants' ages after shocking figures showed four out of 10 who claimed to be children were lying.
Home Office figures show that between mid-2022 and June 2024, 11,449 age disputes were raised by UK Border Force staff. Some 8,791 were resolved with 3,570 - amounting to 40 per cent - having lied about being under 18.
A staggering 1,305 of those caught lying about their age were from Afghanistan, in a bid to get special protection in the UK.
Child refugees cannot be deported and have the right to the same healthcare, education and sustenance as British children.
Nigel Farage criticised the RNLI's lifeboat rescues in 2021, before he became leader of Reform.
Sharing a photo of a lifeboat 'rammed full' of migrants, he said: 'Sadly the wonderful RNLI in Kent has become a taxi service for illegal immigration, to the dismay of all involved. What a state of affairs.'
Simon Ling, head of lifeboats at RNLI said today: 'The core purpose of the RNLI is to save lives at sea. We strongly believe that whilst anyone can drown, nobody should.
'We do this across all of the UK and Ireland but the Channel attracts attention and we understand why.
'It polarises opinions, but to RNLI it's very simple - it's men and women getting up in the middle of the night to go and rescue fellow men and women.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Stepfather of grooming gang fantasist Eleanor Williams dies after being attacked in family home
The stepfather of grooming gang fantasist Eleanor Williams has died nearly three weeks after he was allegedly attacked inside the family home — with police now expected to launch a murder investigation. Ronnie Johnston, 57, died 20 days after suffering catastrophic injuries in an alleged assault that led to the arrest of a 54-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man. The incident took place at the end-terrace house on Walney Island, Barrow-in-Furness — the childhood home of Williams, 24, whose lies about being trafficked by an Asian grooming gang tore the Cumbrian town apart. A spokesman for Cumbria Police said: 'A police investigation is on-going after a man who suffered life-threatening injuries following an incident in Barrow, has died. 'On 12 July 2025, emergency services attended an address in Teasdale Road in Barrow following a report of two people having suffered injuries inside the address. 'A 57-year-old man was taken to hospital in a critical condition but died overnight on Tuesday (29 July) into Wednesday (30 July). 'A 19-year-old who suffered a broken arm was arrested on the evening of 12 July 2025 on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. He was subsequently released on police bail and remains on police bail whilst investigations into the incident remain on-going. 'A 54-year-old woman arrested at the same address on the same evening also remains on police bail.' Painter and decorator Mr Johnston was discovered with life-threatening injuries at the end-terrace property in Teasdale Road shortly before midnight on Saturday July 12. He is the husband of Williams' mother Allison Williams, who stood by her daughter as she falsely claimed she was trafficked and beaten by an Asian gang in Cumbria. She alleged she had been brutally raped and trafficked across the north of England and overseas in a string of Facebook posts in May 2020, shared more than 100,000 times. Her purported ordeal sparked protests and months of unrest in her home town, and prompted thousands to donate cash. Williams was later convicted of perverting the course of justice when her dramatic accounts were exposed as being completely fantastical. A trial at Preston Crown Court heard Williams inflicted the wounds herself using a hammer and she was jailed for eight-and-a-half years in March 2023. Three men falsely accused over a three-year period were driven to the brink of suicide after being targeted. One of them - Jordan Trengove - spent more than 70 days in prison, sharing a cell with a convicted sex offender after he was charged as a result of Williams' bogus claims. Ms Williams, 54, a former Labour councillor, was later accused of refusing to return £22,000 donated by well-wishers. She later said she donated the funds to two homeless charities. Williams was released from prison in January under the Government's early release scheme designed to free up space in prisons. The serial liar was revealed by Daily Mail to be making a 'new life for herself' outside of Barrow. A source said: 'She was a model prisoner and she was no threat to society at all. 'She was working during her time in jail as a receptionist for an electrical equipment company and proved to the authorities that she was suitable to be released. 'She's currently living outside Barrow and doesn't know whether she'll be able to return. 'It's an isolated town where everyone is involved in everyone else's business which would make life impossible for her at the moment.' Cumbria Police added: 'Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, referring to incident 355 of July 12. 'Alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.'


BBC News
20 minutes ago
- BBC News
Fraudster used Bromsgrove firm's credit cards on Disney trips
A financial director has been jailed after using company credit cards to buy himself expensive gadgets and trips to Walt Disney World - fraud that left the firm in major difficulty, "impacting the jobs of fellow employees".Over a period of eight years, David Carr lived a lavish lifestyle by funneling £300,000 from the Bromsgrove-based IT company he worked for, causing it to fall into administration, West Mercia Police 32-year-old of St. Laurence Way in Alcester, Warwickshire, pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud by abuse of position of trust between April 2014 and August Worcester Crown Court on 25 July, he was sentenced to four years and seven months in prison. A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing is set to take place following the James Hall of West Mercia Police said: "We are pleased to get this custodial sentence for Carr who abused his position of trust as the financial director of a company to fund a luxury lifestyle well beyond his means."Carr's eight years of stealing company money also led to the firm he worked for going into administration, impacting the jobs of fellow employees too." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.


BBC News
20 minutes ago
- BBC News
Warwickshire Police sergeant arrested on suspicion of rape
A sergeant with Warwickshire Police has been arrested on suspicion of officer was arrested on 22 July after an investigation was launched following a report of the incident two days earlier. The sergeant has been released on bail with conditions and moved to a non-public facing role, the force said."As a force, we expect the highest standards from all our officers, staff and volunteers and where there are concerns or allegations these aren't being met, our professional standards department will investigate thoroughly," a spokesperson said. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.