A large group of migrants, including small children, have been prevented from reaching a French beach to board a small boat by police with riot shields.

Just after 6am on Tuesday, more than 50 people wearing coats and life vests were seen in Gravelines, a popular departure point for asylum seekers hoping to make it to the UK.

At least 10 young children, most of them wearing large orange life jackets, were among the group of migrants. They appeared to be waiting for a dinghy to come up the canal which runs through Gravelines.

French police, armed with guns and tear gas, used their vehicles to block in and shepherd the group as they tried to get to the beach.

A woman with a baby strapped to her back was pushed back into the crowd by one officer as she tried to break through the police line. Cries and shouts of confusion were heard as the police forced the group to take a new route.

The police later left the migrants, who waited for a while longer beside the canal hoping to be picked up.

A black dinghy carrying a different group of migrants trying to reach the UK was spotted off the coast of Dunkirk at around 10.30am local time. It is thought three small boats set off from northern France towards Dover on Tuesday morning.

The UK has been seeking closer co-operation with France to deal with the politically charged issue of small boats.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised to “smash the gangs” responsible for people smuggling but the number of migrants arriving shows no sign of dropping. At the weekend, 1,298 crossed the English Channel, with 125 in one boat alone.

Mr Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed a ‘one in, one out’ scheme under which migrants arriving by small boat are deported back to France in return for refugees with an approved claim for asylum being allowed into the UK.

A handful of deportations have begun. Last week a family of three, including a small child, were the first refugees to arrive in the UK.

The French are also working on new rules of engagement which will allow police to board small boats up to 300 metres from the coast to stop them from reaching Britain. In 2024, small boat crossings made up 4 per cent of overall immigration to the UK, but more than 80 per cent of unauthorised arrivals.

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