'No limit' to migrant mega-dinghies crossing the Channel, say French rescue teams
France’s lifeboat service has warned there is “no limit” to the number of migrants people smugglers will attempt to put on a new wave of 'mega dinghies' trying to reach the UK.
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The French national sea rescue service (SNSM) has warned it is seeing increasing numbers of the giant inflatable crafts capable of carrying hundreds of people across the English Channel.
A record 230 asylum seekers arrived in Britain on a single 15-metre-long (49ft) vessel from near Berck-sur-Mer, Normandy yesterday.
The director of the SNSM’s Berck-sur-Mer branch Jean-Marc Lamblin said: "We've been seeing more and more 15-metre boats passing through.
Taking about the numbers on board, he added: "We didn’t think there could be any more, but there really is no limit now”.
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner insisted to Nick Ferrari this morning: "The policies are starting to bear down.
"The Home Secretary renegotiated the deal that is on payment on results with the French and we are seeing results.
"I absolutely agree it's abhorrent that these criminals think that they can get away with this."
Asked why the French don't do more to stop the boats, she said the home secretary is in "constant dialogue" with the French.
"Nobody wants to see babies and toddlers washed ashore and criminals getting away with exploiting the most vulnerable people."
French rescuers have warned that as numbers on board the boats increase, so does the likelihood of a tragedy.
They said the boat carrying 230 people was 'buckling' under the weight.
The French lifeboat crew based at Berck-sur-Mer said the dingy was 15m (49ft) long, and already carrying around 50 passengers when it was spotted heading towards a beach to pick up more.
The number of passengers breaks the previous record from July when 165 people successfully made the crossing.
People smugglers have been increasing the number of migrants crammed into boats, a tactic the Government has condemned as “reckless and dangerous”.
The SNMS team, the equivalent of the UK’s RNLI, said around 30 people ended up in the water during the rush to climb onboard at around 5pm on Sunday.
Part of the group became cut off by the tide and had to be rescued, a translated statement said.
The crowded dinghy was described as “buckling under the swell” as it headed towards the UK.
It was carrying 232 migrants until two people asked for assistance and were taken to Calais.
Rescuers efforts “helped avert a tragedy”, the statement added.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said French authorities should have stopped the dinghy.
“This is now beyond a joke,” he said.
“The French authorities could easily have stopped a vessel this size from embarking in shallow waters.
“I recently saw for myself French Gendarmes standing by and doing nothing while illegal immigrants boarded in knee-deep water. Shabana Mahmood is handing over £660 million of our money while this happens. It’s a disgrace.”
The near-miss comes after a dinghy carrying 173 people capsized in the Channel when its engine caught fire earlier this month.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “This latest incident demonstrates the reckless and dangerous tactics employed by the criminal gangs facilitating these crossings, who continue to put lives at risk by cramming ever greater numbers of people onto unseaworthy vessels.
“We are making progress, with the number of small boat crossings down this year and the lowest number recorded for the month of July since 2020.
“But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40% more boots on the ground on French beaches.”
Downing Street also criticised the “ruthless” people-smuggling gangs “prepared to risk human lives for profit”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said: “We’ve seen today some appalling images, haven’t we, of young babies being put into these unseaworthy craft, and they’re shocking images, and they show the reality behind the ruthless smuggling gangs that are prepared to risk human lives for profit.
“That’s exactly why the Government has signed a new payment-by-results deal with the French to prevent these perilous journeys from happening in the first place.
“As the Prime Minister has said, we’re not complacent and we are bearing down on these crossings, and that’s reflected in the joint action that’s prevented 47,000 attempted crossings since the election.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the numbers of people crossing in small boats “are down but they’re still horrendous”.
Some 258 migrants arrived in the UK in four boats on Saturday, according to Home Office figures, with 423 arriving in five boats on Sunday.
But the number of overall arrivals for 2026 has dropped compared with last year.
The provisional total for the year so far is 15,242 – 42% lower than the number recorded by this time last year and down 14% on the same period in 2024.