Protesters block roads in Portsmouth after 140 migrants arrive in boat

Protesters said they were trying to stop authorities transporting the migrants to the Manston processing centre in Kent.

Police carrying riot shields protected a number of coaches parked on a road leading away from Eastney Marina as protesters blocked traffic.

Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo – an associate of far-right activist Tommy Robinson – was livestreaming from the scene.

"Roads are all blocked, they are never going to be able to leave here," he said.

A government spokesperson said: "The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but it must never cross a line into disorder."

"We thank the emergency services who are working to safely manage this situation."

The protest came after a large group of masked men held a demonstration over the small-boat crossings at the Port of Dover on Saturday, causing a major disruption.

Days earlier, Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron met to discuss how to "scale up" efforts to reduce small boat crossings.

A total of 16,513 people arrived in the UK in small boats in the year to 1 September - which is 43% lower than the same period the previous year.

UK net migration has meanwhile dropped to its lowest level outside of the Covid pandemic since 2012.

Conservative MP for Isle of Wight East Joe Robertson said on X it was "extremely concerning to see an illegal migrant crossing this far west", given boats ordinarily land near Dover.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones told the BBC her primary concern was that Portsmouth did not become a "destination of choice for people traffickers".

"The government has invested heavily into Dover - the operation down there... is significant in terms of the holding centre, the processing, UK Border Force," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"We have hundreds of miles of coastline across southern England, and if Dover is no longer the destination of choice and instead there is going to be a spread across southern England, this is a significant issue for the government."

On Saturday, hundreds of protesters, dressed in black and wearing face coverings, blocked roads near the Port of Dover and were heard chanting "stop the boats".

A council boss said police were slow to react to the "exceptionally well organised" protest.

Kevin Mills, who leads Dover District Council, told the BBC that demonstrators "caught several agencies on the hoof" when they arrived on Saturday.

Kent Police is yet to comment, but cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds said officers "did deal with it swiftly".

HOPE not Hate founder Nick Lowles criticised the policing response to the protests, asking: "How can you have 300, 400 people turn up in Dover at 07:00 on a Saturday morning and the police know nothing about it?"

He told the BBC on Monday that the protests had attracted "some of the more aggressive and more violent of the far-right activists from around the country" who had taken part in similar action in recent years, and said the government should go further in condemning them.

"We need to call these people out for their politics, and for the type of Britain that they want to see."

A Home Office spokesperson said on Sunday: "This government is bearing down on dangerous small boat crossings and restoring control at our border.

"Joint efforts have seen over 48,000 crossing attempts prevented and 1,100 boats and engines seized since the election."

They added: "But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40% more boots on the ground on French beaches."

A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson said: "In response to a report on September 6 of a small boat heading towards the Hampshire coast, HM Coastguard sent lifeboats, an HM Coastguard helicopter, an HM Coastguard aeroplane and HM Coastguard Rescue Teams.

"Border Force, Border Security Command, Hampshire Police and South Central Ambulance Service were also sent."