A LIFEBOAT station has had to increase its volunteer crew by 50 per cent as the Channel migrant crisis worsens.

       The numbers are being beefed up mainly to cover call-outs at night when most perilous crossings happen.

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       Lifeboat chiefs have increased volunteer crew by 50% as the Channel migrant crisis worsens Credit: PA

       Thirteen people are undergoing training to be stationed with the RNLI at Dover, Kent, to join 25 already there.

       Crews are being overwhelmed by the situation, which has seen more than 4,000 migrants reach Britain this year already — a fourfold increase on this time last year.

       One source said: “The surge in crossings has been out of control for a long time now and it’s getting worse by the day.

       "These crossings are not the only call-outs crews have to deal with — so they simply had to bolster their team.”

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       At least 70 migrants reached Britain by boat on Friday, with smugglers taking advantage of the good weather.

       The RNLI said: “All volunteers are ready to answer their pagers 24/7, 365 days a year.”

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