A Kent news title has launched a bid to help refugees risking their lives to reach its patch from France.

Kent Live is demanding more safe routes for asylum seekers in a bid to avert the “tragic loss of life” in the English Channel.

The campaign has been launched in response to the UK Government’s Illegal Migration Bill, also known as the ‘Stop The Boats’ Bill, after more than 45,000 people risked their lives to cross the Channel in small boats last year.

Launching a petition calling for safe routes, Kent Live said it is “committed to compassion in our reporting around the refugee crisis”.

The campaign is being led by Hedi Mehrez, race reporter for the website’s publisher Reach plc.

Hedi, pictured, told HTFP: “Asylum seekers continue to risk their lives to flee war or persecution in search of safety and protection.

“Kent Live launched this petition because we believe it is vital to provide them with safe and legal routes to enter the country

” They have to physically be in the UK to apply for asylum but many have lost their lives trying to cross the English Channel in a dinghy. Setting up safe routes would stop asylum seekers from making dangerous crossings.”

Home Secretary Suella Braverman wants to make it illegal to arrive in the UK via small boat crossings and to deport anyone who does so to Rwanda.

Responding to Kent Live’s campaign, a Home Office spokesperson said: “The UK has a proud history of providing protection for those who genuinely need it through our safe and legal routes offering safety and protection to almost half a million men, women, and children.

“While we are committed to creating more routes to safety for vulnerable people across the globe, we must grip the rise in illegal migration and stop the boats.

“That is why we are introducing new legislation that will see people who come to the UK illegally, liable for detention and swift removal.”