The BBC watched groups of migrants boarding an inflatable dinghy on the Gravelines beach in northern France A drop in small boats illegally reaching the UK is forcing people smuggling gangs to adopt new tactics, a BBC investigation has found. And there are claims of more "mega-dinghies" being prepared, of the type seen arriving on UK shores in recent weeks.
The image of a 15-metre long small boat carrying a record 230 migrants towards the UK drew condemnation from both newspapers and politicians. Ministers were accused of "losing control" of illegal Channel crossings, and the French police again found themselves criticised for not intervening.
But evocative as the picture was, it also represented a new strategy by the increasingly frustrated people smugglers we encountered on France's northern shores – who attacked our crew with stones, and injured our cameraman. They are running low on small boats, we have found. And once rival criminal groups are now having to work together by loading more migrants on fewer, larger vessels – just like the "mega-dinghy".
The UK and France are announcing measures to increase the number of police officers on the French coast in order to try to stop the migrants. The latest initiative comes as Andy Burnham prepares to host French President Emmanuel Macron at Downing Street for the first time since becoming prime minister.
Track UK's latest migration numbers – net migration, visas, asylum and small boats Gang members have told our sources that others are being prepared, to the concern of emergency teams on both sides of the Channel, because of the increased risk to more lives. On 4 August 170 people had to be rescued after theirs caught fire in the middle of the Channel.