A coastguard helicopter and RNLI lifeboat were scrambled on Wednesday night to rescue a woman migrant who was injured on a dinghy attempting to cross the Channel.

       A paramedic was winched onto a lifeboat from the helicopter to treat the woman who was said to have spinal injuries, and a man with hand injuries, after the pair had been rescued by the RNLI vessel.

       They were among 60 migrants on two dinghies and a kayak who were brought ashore in the early hours of Thursday morning.

       One of the dinghies was said by witnesses to have been punctured on one side and was in danger of sinking.

       Migrants on board called emergency services and shone their mobile phones in an attempt to alert passing ships as they feared drowning in the Channel.

       One witness said the kayak, with three migrants on board, had been at sea for nine hours before the alert was sent out.

       There had been concerns that the injured woman might need to be airlifted to hospital, but coastguard officials said the paramedic had assessed she could be treated on board.

       She was later seen walking up a gangway after being brought ashore at the Port of Dover. Among the 60 migrants rescued were a baby and child aged six or seven.

       It is one of the largest migrant crossings of the Channel since 27 died last month, when their dinghy sank off the French coast near Calais.

       On Wednesday, there were reportedly 36 migrants who crossed the Channel in a single boat. The group of men were brought into the harbour in Dover on board the Border Force vessel Hurricane.

       They were the first to make the crossing since Dec 5, when 100 people were picked up by Border Force officers in three boats.

       More migrants are expected on Thursday as the sea and weather conditions are said to be calm.