Protesters block roads in Portsmouth after 140 migrants rescued - BBC

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."