Dozens of migrants were seen wading neck-deep into the sea off Calais to board a dinghy to cross the English Channel to reach Britain today as temperatures soared.
Pictures showed women, children and men in orange life jackets attempting to climb onto a small rubber boat in the water on France’s north coast.
Officers in diving gear could be seen watching on from the shore and a rescue boat off Petit-Fort-Philippe beach in Gravelines.
Some of the migrants had children sitting on their shoulders while others reached out their hands to help others around them step off the boat and into the water.
In other shocking images, children were seen crying as they were pushed through the Channel with their heads barely held above the water’s surface.
It is not clear whether the vessel was intercepted and turned back.
The waters remained in calm conditions in the 26C Calais heat today, but concerns are rising as the weather is set to take a turn for the worse in the coming days.
It comes as more than 28,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats this year.
The latest Home Office statistics show that almost two-fifths of those who claimed asylum in the UK in the 12 months to June 2025 arrived via small boat.
As of August 20, 27,997 migrants had crossed the Channel in small boats in 2025, up from 18,342 for the same period in 2024.
It means more than 50,000 migrants have come to the UK via this route in the 403 days since Labour came to power in July 2024.
It is not the first time that the 50,000 threshold has been passed in 403 days.
Between October 8, 2021 and November 14, 2022 – under the previous Conservative government – there were 53,587 small boat arrivals.
Under a new agreement between the British and French governments, the ‘one in, one out’ deal, some people who come to the UK this way will be detained and sent back to France.
UK officials will be able to make referrals for returns to France within three days of someone’s arrival by boat.
French authorities can identify the same number of asylum seekers currently in France who intend to come to the UK but have not tried to cross.
Those who pass security and eligibility checks can be relocated to the UK and given three months to claim asylum or apply for a visa.
However, they would not be allowed to work, study, or have access to benefits in this time.
It has been reported that 50 people a week could be selected. The pilot scheme is expected to last for 11 months.
Monday’s attempted crossing at the Gravelines beach comes just weeks after a small boat arrived at the same beach to pick up migrants to take them illegally across to the UK.
The rubber vessel was pictured off the French coast, just east of Calais, on August 9, before heading off into the English Channel.
Passengers, which included men, women and children, loaded on to the boat, reaching out hands to help each other aboard.
Some threw peace signs at the camera – while a handful of French police officers stood on the beach, watching on.
Many were carrying children, some of whom looked no older than toddlers, with most of them wearing lifejackets ahead of the passage.
The majority of people had no possessions with them, apart from one small bag in some cases.
One pair was seen clasping hands, while another hugged tightly.
They soon variously swam and waded out to the boat, with some climbing onboard before helping to lift others on to the craft.
A boat is soon densely packed with passengers, with a row of young men seen sitting astride the edge of the vessel.
After the first boat is loaded up, remaining passengers watched on as it embarked on its journey into the Channel.
Two French gendarmerie vehicles were seen on the sand, with a small group of officers standing stationery as the events unfolded.
One policeman appeared to be looking at his phone.
The August 9 small boat passage came after Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp blasted Labour’s ‘one in, one out’ scheme as a ‘gimmick that just won’t work’.
He said: ‘As far as we can see, removals under this scheme will only amount to six per cent of arrivals, meaning 94 per cent will stay.
‘It will have no deterrent effect whatsoever.
‘We also know that the agreement with France means any migrants claiming to be under 18, or who make a modern slavery or human rights claim, will not get removed.
‘So this plan will get bogged down in an endless legal quagmire.
‘Just like Sir Keir Starmer’s claim to “smash the gangs”, this is another gimmick that just won’t work.’
