Police stop 45 migrants from crossing the English Channel

This is the dramatic moment French police rammed the boat’s motor and prevented a party of around 45 migrants from attempting to cross the English Channel.

On Saturday night, just after sunset, migrants in red life vests emerged from the sand dunes and sprinted for the sea near Gravelines, a peaceful vacation destination between Calais and Dunkirk.

A big group of people, largely young guys, trailed behind and hauled a black boat over their heads while some ladies and men held little children in their arms.

However, they were stopped by a police vehicle that sped over the sand, and as the migrants dispersed, the cops rushed out to pierce the boat with a knife.

One knelt down and covered his face with his hands as a police officer seemed to deploy pepper spray.

Astonished tourists watched as police used a hammer to shatter the outboard motor to pieces as the migrants walked dejectedly back to the dunes. There were no detentions.

Despite their joy, it occurred on a day when 10 tiny boats carrying 337 migrants successfully departed from the French coast and arrived in the UK; according to Ministry of Defense estimates, the total number of migrants this year alone has surpassed 18,000 already.

The sombre milestone was reached only five days after Border Force helped 696 individuals get to land on Monday, which had been the biggest day for Channel crossings so far this year.

This week is expected to see more crossings as the Met Office is calling for mild weather and calm winds on the south coast.

At least five smuggling groups have recently frequented the Gravelines area, and they seem to be becoming bolder by trying perilous night crossings.

Elia Carpentier, 20, who works at the beachside tourist information centre, described how she saw a boat carrying migrants depart the beach on Friday at 7 o’clock.

I was pretty shocked since usually they go at dusk or at the end of the day, she remarked.

At the water’s edge, the boat was waiting for them. Although I’m not sure how many made it, the gathering included men, women, and kids.

The dramatic three-hour cat-and-mouse chase between police and the migrants sheltering in the scrubland below the dunes culminated with the French police operation.

A reporter and photographer from the Daily Mail hid behind a couple of French bird hunters on the sand at the water’s edge from 6.30 pm till dusk.

From there, two cops could be seen watching a group of 18 young male migrants who were moving around the scrubland regularly using a pair of binoculars.

The location of the migrants’ hiding places before to their attempt to cross the Channel was an open secret, according to Miss Carpentier, 20, who lives near to the beach in Gravelines.

She said that a camping and a woodland might be found at the further end of the beach.

They spent one or two nights camped out there before waiting for a boat. I observe their belongings when I take my dog on a stroll.