Migrant children among those landing on Kent coast amid near-freezing conditions

Five children wrapped up against the bitter cold – including a baby without socks or shoes – were among the migrants who landed on the Kent coast on Monday morning.

Arrivals in Dover amid near-freezing conditions after making the perilous journey across the English Channel included a family of four.

It comes despite a recent £28 million agreement between the UK and France to double police patrols on French beaches.

Several dozen people are believed to have successfully travelled to Britain on Monday.

Meanwhile, Kent County Council announced it has begun accepting unaccompanied migrant children for the first time in four months.

Five children were seen being brought into the Port of Dover aboard a single Border Force rib, along with a number of adults.

The youngsters, some too young to walk, were visibly suffering from the 1C temperatures at the Kent port and were wrapped in blankets and life jackets.

Among them was a baby who did not have shoes or socks, being carried ashore in the arms of a woman

Despite continued vows by Home Secretary Priti Patel to make the route “unviable”,  there have been unprecedented numbers crossing the Channel in small boats in 2020.

Last month, Ms Patel hailed a new agreement with her French counterpart aimed at curbing the number of migrants reaching the UK in small boats.

But the £28 million deal has not stopped people making it to UK shores, as Monday’s arrivals appear to show.

Kent County Council announced it had resumed taking in unaccompanied migrant children who arrive on boats, almost four months after it said it could no longer safely care for any new arrivals, prompting a scramble to find places elsewhere in the country.

But the council warned that a long-term solution still needs to be implemented to avoid services being overwhelmed again.