French police scupper migrant crossing attempt with tear gas
A group of around 200 asylum seekers, including 10 Vietnamese and at least three young children, were forced by police to abandon their attempts to cross the Channel from Gravelines beach, 26 km north-east of Calais, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
An inflatable black and white dinghy carrying a dozen asylum seekers and people smugglers onboard, was launched at around 4am (GMT) from the canal that runs through the heart of the seaside town.
Only one of its passengers was wearing a life jacket. Another wore a flimsy, bright green inflatable ring around his waist.
Smugglers exploit perfect weather
The dinghy sailed down the canal to the sea under an auburn sky and in still winds – ideal conditions for the smuggling gangs who have managed to transport 973 migrants into Dover over the past two days.
It came to a rest near the shoreline and bobbed gently up and down, waiting for its human cargo.
Moments later, 50 migrants broke cover from the dunes, where they had camped overnight, and sprinted across the beach in desperation to reach the dinghy before the police had time to intervene.
French police fired a barrage of tear gas, a chemical favoured by riot police that causes severe eye and respiratory pain, into the throng and the dunes, scuppering their plans.
In a cloud of irritating white smoke the group beat a hasty retreat. They clambered over a 12ft-high sea wall of rocks and fled towards the town where they looked for a bus to take them back to their makeshift camp in Dunkirk, 13 miles away.
Those aboard the dinghy swiftly abandoned the vessel and followed suit.
Dressed in tactical gear, the officers walked up to the dinghy, empty of passengers, and plunged their knives into it leaving it a crumpled heap on the sandy white beach.
Two of the officers were seen afterwards posing for selfies in front of the deflated dinghy.
From resort to trafficking hub
Gravelines, a seaside resort town that relies on tourism, has become a trafficking hub for migrants, where as many as 300 can leave in a single day, according to its deputy mayor.
It is just one of dozens of beaches on the 200km stretch of coastline used by smugglers.
Police officers have admitted it is almost impossible to effectively monitor the entire stretch seven days a week.
On Thursday, only hours after Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, and Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, announced a 'one in one out' migrants deal, in the hope of breaking the operations of people smuggling gangs, 573 migrants were trafficked to the UK in 10 small boats.
The following day, 353 were trafficked on five small boats.
Saturday saw a heavy police presence on the beaches. In Ambleteuse and Wissant beaches, The Telegraph were questioned at 3am in the morning by gendarmes scouring the nearby sand dunes for migrant camps.
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