LONDON, August 10. /TASS/. A boat carrying 230 illegal migrants reached England after crossing the English Channel, Sky News reported.

The figure is a record for the number of illegal migrants to reach the United Kingdom aboard a single vessel.

The previous record was set in July, when 165 people crossed from France to England in one boat.

The total number of illegal migrants to reach the United Kingdom across the English Channel since the beginning of the year in 224 inflatable boats has reached 15,049. This is 42% lower than in the same period last year.

Since 2018, more than 205,000 illegal migrants have crossed the English Channel to the United Kingdom by boat. The problem of illegal immigration has worsened in the United Kingdom since it left the European Union, despite the issue being one of the main reasons for Brexit.

In April, the United Kingdom and France signed an agreement under which London will pay Paris 660 million pounds (almost $890 million) to tighten controls on illegal migrant crossings of the English Channel. The funds will primarily be used to increase the number of police officers patrolling the northern French coast, from where migrants in inflatable boats try to reach the UK.