'We'll drown our children'

Asylum seekers on a ferry to England threatened to throw their children overboard when British immigration officers tried to question them.

The eight adults with eight children, all believed to be Romanian, were challenged by security staff on a ferry from Dieppe to Newhaven. One woman held a boy of about six over the edge when officials arrived.

Police eventually calmed the situation and the group left the boat. The immigration service said today their applications for asylum were being considered.