Undeterred migrants are still heading for the UK

Mild weather and calm seas on the weekend led to a rise in the number of undocumented migrants trying to illegally enter the United Kingdom via the English Channel.

The nation's Ministry of Defence said on Monday the Border Force intercepted seven boats on Sunday, with 254 people on board.

Those picked up were taken to UK ports ahead of being processed, to see if they are eligible for asylum.

The sudden spike followed 11 days during which no vessels were intercepted, a lull some observers said was down to the UK's new policy of sending some migrants to Rwanda for processing.

Other experts said the weather was more of a factor, with people-smugglers reluctant before Sunday to risk their boats on rough seas.

London has been seeking ways to stem the flow and the Ministry of Defence was tasked last month with directly overseeing the border.

The nation says migrants in France, who are already safe from any persecution they fled, should not risk their lives to try to get to the UK.

A spokesman for the ministry told the BBC: "Not only are (the crossings) an overt abuse of our immigration laws but they also impact on the UK taxpayer, risk lives, and our ability to help refugees come to the UK via safe and legal routes."

The UK has intercepted more than 6,000 people trying to make the crossing in 2022, and 28,526 in 2021. Many more will have entered the country undetected.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has urged France to do more to stop people leaving on small vessels.

She has said the policy of sending some people to Rwanda should disrupt the people-smugglers' business plan and could end the practice.

But several organizations are challenging the legality of the policy in court, and at least 160 groups signed an open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, urging him to abandon the idea.

The Guardian newspaper said on Monday the policy may not be an efficient deterrent. It quoted a survey of more than 60 asylum-seekers conducted by the charity Care4Calais that found three-quarters still planned to attempt the crossing.

One unnamed migrant told the charity no one wants to end up in Rwanda, but the chance of getting to the UK was worth the risk.

"Rwanda is not good," he said. "We take danger to get a safe life."

But a spokesman for the UK's Home Office insisted the policy will work.

"This world-leading migration and economic development partnership will overhaul our broken asylum system, which is currently costing the UK taxpayer 1.5 billion pounds ($1.9 billion) a year — the highest amount in two decades," he said, while adding that nothing in the United Nations' refugee convention "prevents removal to a safe country".