Nigel Farage hit out at an “absolutely farcical day” after hundreds more migrants crossed the Channel on small boats.
The GB News presenter compared scenes to the Carry On comedy franchise after a Border Force boat broke down and a drone crashed into the sea.
He also predicted the numbers today would be more than the 500-person capacity of the Bibby Stockholm barge.
The new arrivals took the total number of Channel crossings since 2018 to more than 100,000.
Speaking on his GB News show, Mr Farage said: “Today has been Carry On Up The Channel as a Border Force boat breaks down and a drone crashes into the English Channel and huge numbers of young men once again crossed. More have crossed today than we can fit into the Bibby Stockholm.”
The former Ukip and Brexit Party leader said Border Force “turned into border farce” after a vessel broke down.
He said: “One Border Force vessel out, it breaks down, which beggars belief because we’ve had rough weather and all seafaring folk in rough weather make sure their boats are tickety boo.
“And so we have the Ramsgate lifeboat out, we have the Dover lifeboat, out we have the Dungeness lifeboat out, we have the Littestone inflatable out.
“The volunteers being asked effectively to cover for the Border Force.”
Mr Farage said a multi-million-pound drone crashing into the Channel was the “ultimate farce”.
He went on: “Unbelievable. An absolutely farcical day, 12 boats, so we’re looking at 600 and something probably.”
Mr Farage also predicted it could be a record day for 2023, after 574 migrants made the dangerous journey on July 18.
He said: “In 2020 in the spring I started to look at this issue. I went out into the Channel and I filmed and I understood that basically nobody who came illegally was being deported.
“I said then you might as well put a sign on the White Cliffs of Dover saying ‘everyone welcome’. I said this would become a big issue. Sadly, I’ve been proved right.”
It comes as the Government has used its “small boats week” to make a series of announcements on the issue.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made stopping small boats one of his top five priorities.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “All Border Force vessels are subject to rigorous checks to ensure operations in the Channel are not affected by maintenance issues.
“Border Force Small Boats Operational Command routinely works closely with partners, including HM Coastguard and Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), to maintain operations across the Channel.”
