British interior minister Sajid Javid says the fast-growing number of would-be immigrants crossing the English Channel from France in dinghies is a "major incident".
The move follows the interception of two more vessels carrying 12 migrants off the southeast English coast -- the latest in a sharp increase in such cases over the Christmas week.
Nearly 70 people have been intercepted in the past three days as they try to reach England by crossing one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
Migrants aboard a boat after being intercepted by French authorities, off the port of Dunkirk, northern France, on November 27, 2018. Source: Gerndarmerie Maritime
In the latest incidents, eight Iranian men were spotted in a small boat near the busy port of Dover at around 0900 GMT, and brought ashore for medical assessments and immigration interviews.
About six hours earlier, border officials detained a Syrian and three Iranians encountered on a dinghy in a similar area.
Minister Javid is also seeking an urgent call with his French counterpart over the weekend, his ministry said.
"He has insisted the Home Office treat the situation as a major incident and has ... asked for daily updates," it said in a statement on Friday.
It added that Javid wants to ensure everything possible is being done to deter migrants from attempting the dangerous crossing, "amid concern that it is only a matter of time before people lose their lives".
The Member of Parliament for Dover on England's southeast coast, Charlie Elphicke, has called for more government funding to deal with the arrivals and the Home Office said Javid has asked border officials to look at options for bringing in extra patrol ships.
Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes will visit Dover on Saturday to discuss the situation on the ground with border officials.
On Thursday she called the rising number of migrant crossings "deeply concerning", following the discovery of 23 Iranians in three locations in Kent.
Attempts to cross the English Channel -- one of the world's busiest shipping lanes -- have been increasing since October, with authorities on both sides struggling to stop them.
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