The sight of soaking families arriving from France is ‘traumatic’, says charity worker as calls grow for ministers to find a solution
There was a sense of calm after the storm on a bitterly cold Saturday on the Kent coast. A morning of fierce rain and high winds eventually gave way to a dry, dark afternoon in which the sun never threatened to penetrate the heavy cloud cover over Dover Marina pier.
“We doubt very much that people will try to cross in the storm – hopefully they don’t,” said Kay Marsh, a volunteer with Channel Rescue. The organisation works to support people arriving by carrying out shore-spotting patrols along the Kent coast and documenting Border Force interceptions. Indeed, the only two Border Force vessels in sight, HMC Eagle and HMC Speedwell, were stationed in the marina at Dover western docks, with only each other for company.
Continue reading…