Outrage as French armada of FIVE boats and two choppers escorts migrant mega-dinghy 70 miles to UK beach

FRENCH rescue boats and two helicopters helped a mega-dinghy carrying 140 migrants cross the Channel to a UK beach yesterday. Five rescue boats escorted the inflatable as it completed the unprecedented 70-mile English Channel crossing on Sunday. The ‘mega-dinghy’ set off from Normandy and arrived in Portsmouth The “safety operation” involved handing out lifejackets to everyone on board, including 20 women and eight “very young children”. The flimsy inflatable reached Eastney beach, in Portsmouth, intact on Sunday afternoon, with nobody being injured after 14 hours at sea. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The departure point was more than 200 miles from the usual beach which dinghies leave from at Gravelines in France. Fears are now growing the first-of-its-kind crossing could mean the opening up of new routes across the South Coast. And a much wider crossing zone – rather than the narrow, predictable and well supported Dover route – could put major pressure on services. Scores of British anti-migrant demonstrators waded into the sea to meet them in Portsmouth, Hampshire – a city known as the home of the Royal Navy. People watch from the shore as the migrants are unloaded by the RNLI Credit: Paul Jacobs/pictureexclusive.com The protest follows around 140 migrants arriving in Portsmouth Credit: Paul Jacobs/pictureexclusive.com Roughly 500 protesters descended on the port city overnight in a tense standoff with riot police as they vowed to prevent migrants leaving. Grandfather Barry John-Williams, 69, said he had to deflate his own dinghy to stop protesters taking it. Most read in The Sun He estimated three coaches were parked up waiting for the migrants. Leader of Portsmouth City Council Steve Pitt hit out at “poor judgment” by the Home Office following anti-migration protests. He said Portsmouth was “a completely unsuitable location” to land lifeboats. “The Government needs to take more action to prevent small boat crossings. Clearly people are not happy with the situation and we respect everyone’s right to protest but it should be done peacefully and within the law. Buses are brought in to ship the migrants to processing centres Credit: Paul Jacobs/pictureexclusive.com Smuggling gangs are loading larger, more sophisticated boats Credit: Reuters “We are pleased the coaches were eventually able to leave Portsmouth early this morning to take people outside of Hampshire for processing in the normal way. “The council wasn’t asked about the decision to land the lifeboats in Portsmouth. This was entirely a decision taken by UK Border Force, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Home Office. “It was a completely unsuitable location to bring the boats ashore, this entire situation was avoidable and has brought needless disruption to our city. “I would like to thank the emergency services for their professionalism under very challenging circumstances. Locals fear the unrest in Portsmouth is ‘just the start’ Credit: X Riot cops and protesters clash near Eastney Beach Credit: PA “However, the Home Office has some serious questions to answer about their lack of planning, inconsistent decision-making and ultimately, poor judgement. They put people at risk. This cannot happen again.” Details of the extraordinary crossing emerged today, when a senior search and rescue operative in France described how the mega-dinghy left an isolated Normandy beach near Jobourg on Sunday morning. “It was in the very early hours of Sunday morning then it pushed off from the beach, with everyone on board,” he said. “Jobourg is not patrolled by police, because nobody would expect a boat to leave from such an isolated, rocky spot. “Within an hour or so the boat was in serious difficulty, and passengers on board made Mayday calls on their mobile phones.” The outboard motor on the 46ft boat had failed, meaning it was drifting dangerously around 14 miles off the coast. It was then that five French vessels were dispatched. With them was a French Navy H-160 helicopter, and a Dragon 50 civil security chopper. The Abeille Liberté got closest to the stricken boat, and found “all on board packed closely together, and clearly in some distress,” said the search and rescue source. “We asked them who wanted to be rescued, and the answer was no-one,” they added. “There were twenty women and eight children among them, and they clearly caused the most concern. Cops patrol off the coast of Eastney Beach in Portsmouth, following a protest last night Credit: PA Police officers pass a pile of discarded life jackets at Eastney Point, near Eastney Beach Credit: PA “Only a few migrants were wearing life jackets, so we handed out jackets to all of them. It seemed incomprehensible that they were risking their lives without life jackets.” The source continued: “A second out-board motor was made to work, so the boat could continue on its voyage to Britain.” By 1.30pm on Sunday, the craft was 38 miles from France, and heading towards British water, where it finally joined by an RNLI boat from Yarmouth, on the Isle of Wight, and a British aircraft. “The British boats finally saw the inflatable safely to England,” said the source, who added that he and his colleagues were not legally entitled to stop the mega-dinghy at sea. The French authorities confirmed it was the first time that an immigrant boat has attempted to reach the UK from such a distance. Last night’s protests in Pompey echoed scenes at an anti-illegal migration protest which blocked the Port of Dover on Saturday. Crowds gather to protest in Portsmouth last night Credit: Eddie Mitchell A pile of lifejackets at Eastney Ferry Landing after the migrants were brought ashore Credit: Joe Sene/PA Wire Cars were stuck in huge queues after the balaclava-clad group blocked off roads from 7am. It comes just days after Prime Minister Andy Burnham hailed a crackdown on crossings. A spokesman for the Maritime Prefecture for the English Channel and the North Sea said the escort operation had been essential “for safety reasons.” He said: “The situation had to be monitored, in preparation for rescues if necessary. Those on board were determined to reach the UK. “Given the structural fragility of these consistently overloaded vessels, the decision was made not to force migrants onto state rescue boats, so as to avoid endangering their lives in the event of a shipwreck.” Hampshire Police said: “On Sunday evening (6 September) Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary officers worked alongside and assisted our partners from Border Force, Maritime & Coastguard Agency and Portsmouth City Council at Eastney Marina following the arrival of a small boat crossing the channel. “Our officers were deployed to the area to ensure the safety of the public and to prevent disorder. “The crowd of approximately 200 people dispersed at around 04:00 this morning. A number of police, Coastguard and Border Force vehicles were damaged during the evening. “A small number of officers were treated at the scene for injuries, but no-one in attendance from any agency or the public was seriously injured. “Violence and criminal damage have no part in peaceful protest. “No arrests have been made at this time, however an investigation to identify offenders responsible for any assaults to officers, criminal damage to vehicles, or other criminal offences has been launched. “We can also confirm that Border Force has advised us that individuals from the boat have been transported outside of Hampshire for processing as part of the normal process after they were safely disembarked.” Comment now