Nearly 4,000 migrants camp in northern France as Channel crossing attempts surge

Duncan Capps informed the home affairs select committee that French estimates place roughly 3,800 migrants in camps along the Calais-Dunkirk corridor, about double the typical 2,000. The majority are single men from Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Afghanistan, and they usually require seven or eight attempts before reaching the UK. Capps said French restrictions are making crossings less viable, raising the cost and risk for smugglers, whose fees now range from £840 to £1,700 per person and dinghy expenses total about £14,000.

National Crime Agency director Rob Jones added that the larger camp population signals high intent but also increased difficulty, while total Channel crossings have fallen 43% to just under 21,000 this year. He warned that the Home Office's claim of preventing over 50,000 attempts may double-count individuals repeatedly stopped by French beach patrols. Two small boats reached Britain unimpeded last month because they were only spotted 2.5 miles off the coast on busy days.