Gormless French cops watch on as 1,000 illegal migrants head for UK hours after PM claimed small boats plan was working

A FLOTILLA of up to 1,000 migrants headed for Britain as French cops watched on despite getting more than £1billion from UK taxpayers to stop them. The fresh influx came a day after PM Andy Burnham insisted Labour’s plan to clamp down on illegal migration was working. French cops fail to act as a packed dinghy gets stranded in the shallows in Hardelot, France Credit: Louis Wood News Group Newspapers Ltd In Gravelines, around 100 migrants in life jackets scramble to board a mega dinghy bound for the UK Credit: AFP via Getty Images The gormless French cops who watched the illegal migrants set sail for Britain said: “Our order is to let them go.” On one of the busiest days for Channel crossings this year, The Sun witnessed chaos unfold as asylum seekers repeatedly stormed beaches. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Astonishing scenes saw violence erupt among the migrants fighting for space on crammed dinghies. Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp was on the beach and posted videos of the chaos. READ MORE ON ILLEGAL MIGRANTS He said: “The most shocking thing was the complete inaction by the Gendarmes — they just stood there and watched the migrants launching. “It was extraordinary.” One French officer was filmed saying: “Our order is to let them go. “We just have to say to them ‘don’t do that, it’s dangerous’.” Most read in The Sun While the official numbers will be released today, provisional estimates last night were that more than 1,000 migrants could have made the perilous journey. The last time the daily tally hit four figures was last October, when 1,075 migrants crossed. Cops and firefighters at a beach in Wimereux where 80 migrants squeezed onto a boat Credit: Louis Wood News Group Newspapers Ltd The fresh influx came hours after PM Andy Burnham insisted Labour’s plan to clamp down on illegal migration is working Credit: AFP Reform’s Nigel Farage said: “The invasion continues. “Yet Burnham said ‘the plan is working’. “What planet is he on?” We watched as an hour of mayhem unfolded from midday at Neufchâtel-Hardelot, south of Calais, after a dinghy carrying around 60 migrants, including toddlers and what appeared to be a baby, got stranded yards from shore. Fighting broke out as desperate passengers tried to push the boat into deeper water. The Sun watched men pull each other’s hair while one stripped off his belt and whipped fellow migrants. Several became aggressive towards journalists and the public. Around ten to 12 gendarmes watched on. Reporters pointed out the violence to them but they did not enter the shallow water to intervene. One cop said it would be “too dangerous”. Labour ministers have previously claimed to have convinced the French government to relax laws to let officers snare migrants in the shallows. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has bunged them millions more based on the promise to deploy ­cutting-edge tactics. But one wetsuit-wearing officer was seen pottering around one of the boats on a paddleboard. Under the new deal, the UK will withhold cash if the French police are failing to deliver value for money. After almost an hour, the migrants succeeded in pushing the dinghy out to sea. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp stands alongside a small boat crammed full off the coast of Hardelot Credit: PA A shivering boy is carried across the beach by a fireman after missing out on a place aboard a dinghy Credit: Louis Wood News Group Newspapers Ltd Before it left, two men who appeared to be directing other passengers climbed ashore. One man onboard blew kisses to the pair, while others cheered. When asked whether the pair were suspected of helping organise the crossing, gendarmes said there was “no evidence”. The men were later seen walking away from the beach and speaking with volunteers from non-governmental organisations. French sources told The Sun there had been intense activity along the Opal Coast from 1am as calm seas and light winds created ideal conditions. More than 13,007 migrants have crossed the Channel this year — down 45 per cent on 2025. But the heatwave has triggered a stampede and poses a fresh challenge to Mr Burnham, who name-checked immigration as a top public priority. The Sun earlier witnessed dramatic scenes at nearby Wimereux. Arriving shortly after 5.30am, reporters found around 100 migrants attempting to board a larger boat waiting offshore after being ferried out in smaller RIBs. Around 80 squeezed aboard but the rest were forced back including two women and three children. A boy, aged four or five, was shivering after reaching shore. Firefighters carried him to medics. Three migrants from Punjab told The Sun they had each paid between £500 and £1,500 for repeated attempts to reach Britain. 'THE BOATS LEFT ALL NIGHT LONG' By Louis Wood, Sun photographer I’VE been covering migrant crossings on the French coast for the past 15 years and I can honestly say this was probably the busiest day I’ve witnessed. I have never seen anything like it. Boats left throughout the night and the crossings kept going until after 3pm. There seemed to be another launch or group preparing to leave everywhere we went. The scenes on Hardelot beach were extraordinary. There were around 60 people crammed on a dinghy that became stranded just offshore and for almost an hour complete chaos unfolded. People were pulling each other off the dinghy to push it to get the engine working. Journalists covering the event were threatened. Throughout this, the gendarmes stayed on the beach. Even as disorder continued and we were abused simply for trying to report what was happening, they didn’t step in. I’ve never seen crossings on this scale. It felt like the smugglers were operating almost continuously, launching boats from different beaches throughout the day. When we left there were still crossing attempts taking place. One said he had tried 20 times, losing his money on every failed attempt but insisted he would continue until he reached the UK. Further north in Gravelines 100 migrants scrambled along the sand to board a dinghy. French authorities in a rescue lifeboat appeared to be handing them life jackets. The crossings came days after a Sudanese migrant was stabbed to death at nearby Berck-sur-Mer before a dinghy carrying a record 165 people set sail for Kent. Workers overlooking the beach told The Sun gendarmes said the victim was attacked following a dispute over space aboard the boat. French prosecutors have not confirmed a motive and a murder investigation continues. The Sun returned to Berck. Within minutes of arriving, we saw another attempted crossing. Only a small number appeared to get aboard, leaving many stranded on the sand wearing life jackets. Berck is becoming one of the north’s busiest launch sites as smugglers try to circumvent a crackdown in Calais and Dunkirk. It is about an hour from Calais’ main camps and migrants are taken there by minibus or “sea taxi” to hide in the dunes. The alleged pilot of the record Berck crossing, Chan Mathok Atak, 19, has since been charged with facilitating illegal immigration and the Government’s new offence of endangering others at sea. He denies the allegations. According to the UN refugee agency, almost 35,000 Sudanese are now living in France after fleeing civil war and famine. Many settle in Paris before moving to camps near Calais, Boulogne and the Opal Coast. A French border police source told The Sun: “They are an insular group who tend to live and operate together. “Like any other group they fight themselves. “Knife attacks have become all too common.” In response to Mr Philp’s video, the Home Office said: “We are aware of posts circulating online that claim French law enforcement are failing to prevent small boat Channel crossings. “UK-French co-operation has already stopped over 46,000 attempted crossings since the election. “In May alone, 65 per cent of all small boat events were stopped despite soaring temperatures, which have historically led to increased crossings. “But we know there is more to do. “That is why the Home Secretary has signed a landmark new ­payment-by-results deal with France to boost enforcement action on beaches and put people smugglers behind bars. “On top of the 46,000 crossing attempts prevented, removals of small boat migrants are at record levels and asylum claims are down by 12 per cent. “We have also removed or deported almost 70,000 people who were here illegally — an increase of 41 per cent — and are going further to remove the incentives that draw illegal migrants to this country.” 11 comments11