More attempts at longer migrant small boat crossings in Channel
A growing number of migrants are trying to cross the Channel on small boats using longer routes from beaches further south and west of Calais and Dunkirk, French authorities say.
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Last week one boat set off from Normandy
Last week one boat set off from Normandy and spent more than 30 hours at sea, before being intercepted and taken to Dover by Border Force.
Although attempts from Normandy have been rare, authorities
Although attempts from Normandy have been rare, authorities in neighbouring Seine-Maritime say there have already been 58 attempts this year, up from 30 last year.
The government says it is bearing down on
The government says it is bearing down on dangerous small boat crossings, with figures showing a sharp drop in arrivals this year. Despite overall crossings dropping, the stretch of coastline used for smuggling appears to be widening.
These locations are nearly 80 miles (128 km)
These locations are nearly 80 miles (128 km) from the beaches where many of the small boats have crossed in recent years, with those on board spending longer at sea.
Audrey Baconnais-Rosez, the local government representative in Seine-Maritime
Audrey Baconnais-Rosez, the local government representative in Seine-Maritime, said: "The number of attempts to cross the Channel has increased in number and it is getting further and further from the north of France." She added that authorities were "managing to stop half of them".
The number of gendarmes patrolling the coast within
The number of gendarmes patrolling the coast within Dieppe and further to nearly the Le Havre area have been increased, she said.
"Nowadays it's about 50 gendarmes on the coast
"Nowadays it's about 50 gendarmes on the coast and we have nearly 20 police officers in Dieppe and the surrounding [area] to try to stop them," she said. Baconnais-Rosez also said some smugglers were still attempting to use ferries to Newhaven in Sussex. "We are still intercepting them and we are bringing them to justice as well," she added.
Dr Peter Walsh, a senior researcher at the
Dr Peter Walsh, a senior researcher at the University of Oxford's Migration Observatory, says it is highly plausible that the new routes are due to police disrupting boat launches in northern France. "It's not at all optimal for these boats to set off so far away from their intended destination," he said.
"Some of these journeys would not be 20
"Some of these journeys would not be 20 miles (32km) but 50 miles (80km) or even more, which substantially increases the danger of course on board the boats."
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More attempts at longer migrant small boat crossings in Channel
A growing number of migrants are trying to cross the Channel on small boats using longer routes from beaches further south and west of Calais and Dunkirk, French authorities say.
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Source: BBC News