Image copyright @premarmanche

Five suspected migrants have been picked up from a small boat by French authorities off Audinghen in northern France.

A statement from the Prefecture Maritime de la Manche said a call for medical assistance raised the alert and a fishing vessel then found the group.

Two on board were suffering from hypothermia and all five were taken care of by emergency teams in France.

A rise in attempts to cross the Channel is being blamed on organised crime.

The vast majority of those trying to cross to Kent claim to be Iranian but the nationality of those rescued on Saturday is not yet known.

So far, the number of suspected Iranian migrants to have reached UK shores has reached 101.

Timeline

24 November

• Five suspected migrants are picked up from a small boat by the French authorities off northern France

23 November

• Eight men located in a dinghy off the coast of Dover

22 November

18 November

16 November

14 November

13 November

9 November

3 November