Calais chaos as police swoop on migrants rushing to cross Channel just days after deal

A boat of migrants attempting to reach Britain was forced to abandon the vessel as "200 others" eagerly waited in the sand dunes. A white dinghy hovered near the shore of Gravesline beach, approximately 26km north of Calais, where 12 young men appeared to be waiting for more people to join them. However, French police intervened and fired rounds of tear gas toward the group as they made a dash for the boat.

White plumes of smoke drifted across the sand, which can cause respiratory irritation, forcing the group to retreat back into the dunes. Patrol vehicles and drones monitored the area to prevent any further attempts. Meanwhile, the dinghy, which was launched at around 4am (GMT) as dawn broke, appeared to be in poor condition and was reportedly losing air. After nearly an hour of moving up and down the coast, the dozen migrants on board disembarked near the shoreline and left the boat behind.

French gendarmes, who had been observing from a distance, then approached and punctured the abandoned dinghy with knives - a tactic recently used to disrupt Channel crossings while migrants were onboard.

One asylum seeker, who had prepared to cross to Britain alongside a group of Vietnamese nationals, claimed that around "200 others" remained hidden in the dunes, with more boat launches reportedly planned.

By 6am, the group had dispersed, likely returning to their makeshift camps to wait for another opportunity.

On Friday 11 July, five boats carrying 353 migrants arrived in Britain, following 573 arrivals the previous day.

The chaos comes less than 48 hours after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced their new "one in, one out" migrant deterrent deal.

Under the scheme, illegal immigrants arriving in Britain would be returned to France in exchange for asylum seekers with a family connection in the UK.

Reports indicate the policy will see just 50 people returned to France each week, which roughly amounts to one for every 17 who arrive in Britain illegally.

Despite the new deterrent, migrants in Calais told the Express on Friday that they are not bothered by the scheme, and plan to "try anyway".

So far this year, more than 21,000 migrants have made the journey - a 50% increase compared to the same period last year - bringing the total number since Sir Kier's premier to 44,000.