In the UK,

government has been panicking about small boats carrying migrants across the channel.

But on a tiny island in the med, more boat people have arrived in three weeks than in Britain in a year.

We just saw 5,700 Tunisians arrive in Lampedusa, and if you look at the annual numbers of migrants

sailing to Italy we had I think it was up to 181,000 back in 2016.

The island is Lampedusa, a far-flung part of Sicily closer to Africa than to the mainland.

Lampedusa first hit the headlines in 2013, when there was a terrible... The of land, the boat sank. But this summer has seen a new kind of migrant arriving by a new method.

So who are they?

Why are they coming?

And how are the islanders coping?

You're listening to stories of our times. How are the islanders coping?

You're listening to stories of our times from the times of the Sunday times. I'm David Aronovich.

Today, the migrant summer of a small island. This is a passenger announcement. You can now book your train on Uber and get 10% back in credits to spend on Uber eats.

So you can order your own fries instead of eating everyone else's.

Trains now on Uber. T's and C's apply. Check the Uber app.

I am Tom Kington. I am the Rome-based correspondent for the Times in Italy.

Tom, what took you down to Lampedusa? I went down there to follow this story about the sudden, surprising and large scale arrival of Tunisian migrants in Lampedusa and I got there late on August the 3rd.

Lampedusa blue-blue waters the world's best beach sun all year round, friendly islanders, far far away from the pandemic, and tiny, the physical

size of the city of Exeter and the population of Stoke Pojes, Italy's southernmost island.

And I had a cell phone number for the local Mayor.

Toto Martel, who's a nice guy with tossled grey hair with a permanent Tuscan cigar in his fist and he said

be down at this particular key side at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning because what we're going to be trying

...