Two migrants dead and two women badly burned as 'mega-dinghy' sparks Gosport clashes with police

From the Newshound archive · first published 3 October 2026 · last updated 5 October 2026.

Two migrants died and two women suffered severe burns during a Channel crossing that brought 149 people ashore at Gosport in a 'mega-dinghy', triggering the second major protest to hit the Hampshire town in weeks. Around 300 demonstrators gathered at Haslar Marina, setting off red flares and scuffling with officers through the early hours of Monday. The dinghy launched from near Utah Beach in Normandy — marking the third such crossing from that area in a month — with French rescue vessels tracking it on the French side before RNLI boats took over once it reached English waters.

Hampshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones said each protest costs £150,000 from her force's budget and demanded the Home Secretary intervene urgently.

Protesters blocked police vans, chanted 'deport the lot' and 'send them back', with police imposing Public Order Act conditions including a ban on face coverings.

Channel crossings this year stand at 19,451 — down 43% on the same point last year — yet a new western route from Normandy has opened up that authorities are struggling to contain.