DOZENS of migrants have been detained after arriving on Sussex shores.

Police said a group of people on board a boat crossing the English Channel were towed into Sovereign Harbour in Eastbourne by RNLI Lifeboat volunteers at 1pm on Wednesday afternoon.

“Officers have helped detain those on board, to await the arrival of UK Border Force officials,” a police spokeswoman said.

Eastbourne RNLI said 104 people were rescued, including a pregnant woman and 16 children - the youngest was aged about 18 months old.

Photos from the scene show dozens of migrants arriving in Eastbourne aboard a lifeboat.

A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesman said HM Coastguard coordinated search and rescue responses to incidents off East Sussex and Kent on Wednesday afternoon.

Border Force, Sussex Police, Kent Police and other partners were involved in the incident.

Lifeboats from Hastings, Eastbourne, Dover and Dungeness were sent.

“HM Coastguard is committed to safeguarding life around the seas and coastal areas of this country as set out in international maritime law and the obligations of the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS),” the Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesman said.

“We are only concerned with preservation of life, rescuing those in trouble and bringing them safely back to shore, where they will be handed over to the relevant partner emergency services or authorities.”

The incident comes as the home secretary Priti Patel prepares to discuss the number of small-boat crossings with her French counterpart.

On Monday, 785 people arrived in 27 boats across the UK while French authorities stopped 378 people from making the crossing, according to the Home Office.

Earlier this year, lifeboats were launched to rescue dozens of people off the coast of Sussex, believed to be migrants, who had crossed the Channel.

HM Coastguard co-ordinated a search and rescue response after receiving reports of a vessel with approximately 30 people on board in trouble about 23 miles south of Beachy Head.