The French coastguard was alerted to “many” migrant boats attempting to leave the French coast overnight.
More tragedies have been reported in the Channel over the past 24 hours (Image: Getty)
A migrant died on a dangerously overcrowded dinghy which had been shadowed by the French navy for hours.
The French coastguard was alerted to “many” migrant boats attempting to launch overnight.
The rescue ship, Ridens, followed a dinghy packed with about 40 asylum seekers from a beach in Dunkirk to another pick-up point near Gravelines, where dozens more climbed on.
Emergency crews were then forced to rescue three people who had fallen into the water and 12 more who begged to be evacuated.
Taxi boats have led to a surge in Channel deaths (Image: Getty)
One of those lifted from the boat was unconscious, taking the death toll in the Channel this year to as many as nine, according to charities in France.
The boat then shockingly continued to Britain with around 80 people on board.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “Labour has lost control of our borders and people are dying as a result.
“If Labour had allowed the Rwanda removal deterrent to start last July as planned, these crossings would no longer be happening.
“But instead, crossings are up 28% since the election and people are dying.
“The French should also be intercepting these boats on or near the shore.
“It is shocking that France is allowing boats with illegal migrants to hop along the shore picking people up and then travel across the Channel – allowing that to happen simply attracts even more migrants to the Calais area.”
The use of “taxi-boats”, where smugglers quietly launch the boat in a canal or quieter part of the beach and then pick up larger numbers of migrants down the coastline, has surged in recent months and has been linked to a soaring death toll.
This tactic has prevented French police from blocking asylum seekers from climbing onto a boat because their laws claimed this could endanger lives.
Another migrant died on Wednesday after being rescued from the water when another dinghy got into difficulty off a French beach.
French authorities were informed a group of people, trying to board an inflatable for an attempt to cross the Strait of Dover, were in difficulty in the Equihen-Plage.
The boat had set sail an hour earlier from Hardelot-Plage 25 miles south of Calais.
A rescue operation was launched and two people were detected in the water and picked up by two boats.
One was suffering from hypothermia and the other was in cardio-respiratory arrest.
The two people were evacuated to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau vowed to “rethink our approach” after talks with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and directly intervene to stop boats leaving French waters.
The UK wants the French to act on the agreement to start turning boats around “as soon as possible”.
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Mr Retailleau has agreed to the change in tactics because he believes it could counter the use of “taxi-boats”, where smugglers quietly launch the boat in a canal or quieter part of the beach and then pick up larger numbers of migrants down the coastline.
The Home Secretary said a new offence will be created to target those endangering another life during a small boat crossing.
This means anyone fighting with French police on the beaches, holding children over the edge of a small boat or “rushing” vessels as they try to launch could all be prosecuted, with a maximum penalty of five years behind bars.
This move is believed to have been significant in convincing the French to intercept boats in the water, it is understood.
Criminals caught selling or handling small boat parts, such as engines or lifejackets, could also be jailed for up to 14 years as the Home Office will make it “illegal to supply or handle items suspected of being for use by organised crime groups”.
Officials believe they could even extradite criminals operating in countries such as Turkey and prosecute them under this new law.
Russians, a German national, a Belgian and a Polish national were among 70 nationalities to cross in 2024.
We can disclose seven Russians arrived by small boat last year as well as one Belgian, one German, four Serbians, one Greek national and one Pole.
Alarmingly, four of these were all schoolgirls aged 17 or under. They all submitted asylum applications to join family members in the UK.
All but one of the Russians were adult males, this newspaper understands.
Analysis reveals the number of migrants arriving from Yemen increased sharply last year, after British and American forces launched airstrikes targeting Houthi fighters in the war-torn nation.
Before last year, a record 252 Yemeni people crossed the Channel – in 2020.
Houthi rebels – backed by Iran – attacked ships transiting through the Red Sea, prompting fears of an inflation crisis. British and American fighter jets and warships then destroyed dozens of targets across the country.
The wide variety of nationalities crossing the Channel will prompt renewed fears over Britain’s porous borders,
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