France ups patrols but migrants make risky trip

France has stepped up coastal patrols, but migrants are still crossing the perilous Channel to Britain.

Lucy Fielder has more.

At the break of dawn on a beach in northern France, a dozen migrants set off for England on an inflatable dinghy, waving at a man who sees them off.

A police patrol had just driven past.

France and Britain agreed last month to deploy more police and invest in detection technology to stop illegal migrants crossing the Channel, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, on overloaded rubber boats.

They often struggle to stay afloat, and some drown.

But French police can only stem the flow, not stop it.

The migrants are numerous, the shore long, and the smugglers adept at evasion.

You can see England from France on a clear day - but it's a perilous crossing, says gendarmerie captain Ludovic Caulie.

"The migrants who try to cross over to England are not sailors and aren't really equipped to deal with the North Sea.

This Channel is extremely busy, there are particularly dangerous currents midway." France has stopped twice as many attempted crossings in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year, officials said.

That's 481 crossings in 2021, while 412 small boats successfully reached British shores.

Just a day before, French police had picked up life vests scattered on the beach, together with the remains of a dinghy.

The 30-35 people onboard reached the beach safely, according to a witness.

Across the Channel, UK Lifeboats rescued several groups of migrants attempting to enter Britain on Wednesday (August 4), pulling them ashore at a station to the west of the port of Dover.

France already beefed up controls last year, setting up special police units who monitor the shores day and night.