French police thwart migrants seeking to sneak across the English Channel by puncturing the dinghy with a KNIFE

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French police foil migrants seeking to sneak across the English Channel by puncturing their dinghy with a KNIFE and smashing its outboard motor

  • It was just after sunset on Saturday in Gravelines, between Calais and Dunkirk
  • The migrants emerged from the sand dunes and rushed towards the water
  • They were intercepted by a police car which raced onto the beach
  • More than 18,000 have crossed the Channel to the UK this year alone

This is the dramatic moment when French police thwarted an attempt to cross the Channel by a group of around 45 migrants by puncturing the boat and breaking its engine.

Just after sunset on Saturday evening in the sleepy seaside resort of Gravelines, between Calais and Dunkirk, migrants wearing red life jackets emerged from sand dunes and rushed towards the water.

Several women and men carried young children in their arms as a large group of mostly young men followed them, pulling a black canoe over their heads. But they were intercepted by a police car speeding across the beach, officers bursting in to puncture the dinghy with a knife as the migrants dispersed.

One fell to his knees with his hands covering his face as an officer appeared to use pepper spray. Police then smashed the outboard motor to pieces with a hammer and puzzled holidaymakers watched the migrants dejectedly return to the dunes. No arrests were made.

French police thwarted an attempt to cross the Channel by a group of around 45 migrants by puncturing the boat and breaking its engine.” class=”blkBorder img-share” style=”max-width:100%” />

This is the dramatic moment when French police thwarted an attempt to cross the Channel by a group of around 45 migrants by puncturing the boat and breaking its engine.

Just after sunset on Saturday evening in the sleepy seaside resort of Gravelines, between Calais and Dunkirk, migrants wearing red life jackets emerged from the sand dunes and rushed towards the water

Just after sunset on Saturday evening in the sleepy seaside resort of Gravelines, between Calais and Dunkirk, migrants wearing red life jackets emerged from the sand dunes and rushed towards the water

The migrants were intercepted by a police car which raced onto the beach, with officers bursting in to puncture the dinghy with a knife as the migrants dispersed.

The migrants were intercepted by a police car which raced onto the beach, with officers bursting in to puncture the dinghy with a knife as the migrants dispersed.

Despite their joy, it came on a day when 10 small boats carrying 337 migrants were successfully launched from French shores and made their way to the UK – the total number this year alone now tops 18,000, according to Department of Defense figures.

The grim milestone came just five days after 696 people were rescued by Border Force and brought ashore last Monday, the busiest day for Channel crossings so far this year.

Crossings are likely to continue this week, with the Met Office predicting warm weather and calm winds on the south coast.

The Gravelines location has been used by at least five smuggling gangs in recent months, who seem to be getting increasingly brazen as they attempt dangerous night crossings.

Elia Carpentier, 20, who works at the tourist office on the seafront, said she saw a boat full of migrants leaving the beach at 7 p.m. on Friday.

“I was really surprised because normally they leave at sunset or dawn,” she said.

An inflatable craft carrying migrants crosses the English Channel shipping lane towards the White Cliffs of Dover earlier this month.  the total number this year alone now exceeds 18,000, according to Ministry of Defense figures

An inflatable craft carrying migrants crosses the English Channel shipping lane towards the White Cliffs of Dover earlier this month. the total number this year alone now exceeds 18,000, according to Ministry of Defense figures

“The boat was waiting for them at the water’s edge. I don’t know how many people got on, but there were men, women and children in the group.

The French police operation was the culmination of a tense three-hour game of cat-and-mouse between officers and migrants hiding in the scrubland behind the dunes.

From 6.30pm until sunset, a Daily Mail reporter and photographer lay in the sand at the water’s edge, taking cover behind a couple of French bird hunters.

From this point of view, it was possible to observe through binoculars two officers constantly monitoring a group of 18 young male migrants who continued to move through the scrubland.

Miss Carpentier, 20, who lives next to Gravelines beach, said it was an open secret where migrants hide before attempting to cross the Channel.

“At the end of the beach there is a campsite and beyond that is a forest,” she said.

“They set up camp there for one or two nights before waiting for a boat. They just leave their stuff – I see it when I walk my dog.

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