A fresh flotilla of migrants set off for Britain from northern France, with provisional estimates overnight suggesting up to 1,000 people may have attempted the crossing on one of the busiest Channel days this year.
The move came a day after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Labour’s approach to illegal migration was “working”, as figures for daily crossings were expected to be published later.
Gendarmes Told People Not To Intervene
Footage and reporting from the Opal Coast near Neufchâtel-Hardelot, south of Calais, described chaotic scenes after a dinghy carrying about 60 migrants, including children, ran aground close to shore.
Some passengers pushed at the boat to get it into deeper water, and fighting broke out as people struggled for space. Videos and witnesses said men pulled each other’s hair, and one person whipped others using a belt. Several migrants were also described as becoming aggressive towards journalists and members of the public.
Reporters said around ten to 12 gendarmes watched from the shallow area without moving into the water to intervene. One officer was recorded saying: “Our order is to let them go”, while another reportedly told those nearby that officers could only warn people that it was dangerous.
Labour ministers have previously said they persuaded French authorities to ease rules to allow officers to seize migrants in the shallows, and the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has linked further funding to new enforcement tactics. Under a payment-by-results agreement announced for France, UK payments can be withheld if police fail to deliver value.
Crossings Drop But Volume Remains High
The last time the daily number of Channel crossings reached four figures was last October, when 1,075 people crossed. More than 13,007 migrants have reached the UK by small boat this year, down 45% on the same period in 2025, according to official totals cited in reporting.
In addition to Neufchâtel-Hardelot, other attempts were described elsewhere along the coast. At Wimereux, reporters said around 100 migrants arrived at about 05:30 local time to try to board a larger vessel waiting offshore after being taken out by smaller RIBs; roughly 80 then got on board while others, including two women and three children, were forced back to shore.
At Gravelines, reports said about 100 migrants scrambled along the sand to board a dinghy, with French authorities in a rescue lifeboat appearing to hand out life jackets.
Further north, at Berck-sur-Mer, the day’s attempt followed days after a Sudanese man was stabbed to death near Berck-sur-Mer before a separate dinghy carrying a record 165 people sailed for Kent. Prosecutors in France have not confirmed a motive for the stabbing, and a murder investigation continues.
Home Office Response To Claims Of Weak Enforcement
Reacting to a video posted by Conservative shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, the UK Home Office said it was aware of claims that French law enforcement had failed to prevent crossings.
It said UK-French co-operation had stopped more than 46,000 attempted Channel crossings since the election and that in May 65% of small-boat events were prevented despite higher temperatures. The Home Office added that removals of small boat migrants were at record levels and that asylum claims were down 12%.
It also said almost 70,000 people who were in the UK illegally had been removed or deported, an increase of 41% year-on-year, and that the Government was “going further” to remove incentives drawing migrants to Britain.
The Home Office said a landmark payment-by-results deal has been signed with France to boost enforcement on beaches and target people smugglers.
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30 July 2026
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