Migrants have been seen cheering and clapping as they launched dinghies off the coast of France to cross the English Channel while police officers stood by and watched, with some even filming the scenes.
Video footage taken this Tuesday - the same day that a staggering 1,000 migrants made it to the UK - showed groups of migrants, including young children, clapping in celebration as they managed to restart their boat's engine on a Calais beach.
In the clip, taken by local jogger Franck Viandier, dozens of migrants crowded around the small boat and helped to push it into the water while children clapped and cheered in excitement as they prepared to cross the Channel.
Other footage shared by ITV News showed dozens of migrants wearing life jackets carrying a small dinghy down to the sea while French Gendarmerie officers stood by on the shore and watched.
Some officers appeared to be holding up their phones and filming the scenes, while others stood by and did not intervene as the migrants prepared to launch a boat, believed to be heading for the UK.
Video footage taken this Tuesday - the same day that a staggering 1,000 migrants made it to the UK - showed groups of migrants, including young children, clapped in celebration as they managed to restart their boat's engine on a Calais beach
One video showed dozens of migrants wearing life jackets carrying a small dinghy down to the sea while French Gendarmerie officers stood by on the shore and watched, while some appeared to be filming on their phones
Mr Viandier, who jogs along a Calais beach every morning, said he believes the Gendarmerie officers are doing their best amid the migrant crisis, saying that it is not 'their job' to fight migrants if they want to cross to England.
He told ITV News: 'Sometimes there is a lot of police, I can see the fight sometimes. But they say to me 'it is not our job to fight with these people, the people want to go to England, we are French police'.'
France claims that it deploys 950 officers in the Calais region each day in a bid to prevent illegal Channel crossings.
Migrants launch their boats from France along a 100mile stretch of beach, making it harder for authorities to stop them from crossing the Channel. Out of 40,000 crossings this year, only around half were stopped, according to official figures.
Meanwhile, Clandestine Channel Threat Commander Dan O'Mahoney said the UK's offer to set up joint patrols with the French was rebuffed.
He added: 'We constantly discuss operational options with the French, we have offered to conduct joint patrols. It's not an offer that the French have currently taken us up on, but it continues to be on the table.'
It comes after a lifeboat was scrambled to rescue 23 people from a boat in the Channel today, as it was revealed that around 1,000 more migrants were detained on Tuesday.
In one clip, taken by local jogger Franck Viandier, dozens of migrants crowded around a small boat and helped to push it into the water while children clapped and cheered in excitement as they prepared to cross the Channel
Migrants launch their boats from France along a 100mile stretch of beach, making it harder for authorities to stop them from crossing the Channel. Pictured: Dozens of migrants are seen crowding around a dinghy on a Calais beach on Tuesday
Gendarmerie officers were seen holding up their phones and filming the migrants leaving the beach, while others stood by and did not intervene as the migrants prepared to launch a boat, believed to be heading for the UK
Official figures are yet to be released but it is feared that Tuesday's total could rival the 1,185 record reached last Thursday as the migrant crisis reaches breaking point. The figures have taken some two days to calculate due to the sheer number of arrivals.
The previous daily high was 853 and, overall this year, there have been more than 20,000 crossings.
This morning, an RNLI Dover lifeboat was launched just after 5.30am at the request of the UK Coastguard following reports of a grey dinghy in distress.
A number of 999 calls were made to the rescue centre requesting assistance with reports that a man onboard required medical attention.
Lifeboat crew reported there were 23 other people on the 6-foot grey rib that was caught out in rough seas. A rescue and recovery operation was launched with a helicopter seen airlifting a person to hospital.
A spokesman for the Coastgaurd confirmed: 'HM Coastguard has been coordinating a search and rescue response to an incident off Kent, working with Border Force and other partners. We sent the coastguard helicopter from Lydd and Dover RNLI lifeboat.'
Meanwhile, the Home Office also confirmed that 66 migrants made the perilous Channel crossing in three boats on Wednesday. French authorities stopped a further 43 in three small boats.
It comes after it was reported that Channel migrants who reach Britain could be fast-tracked to an off-shore processing centre in Albania.
Ministers are discussing opening an asylum centre in the eastern European country, which they believe would act as a deterrent for migrants crossing from northern France.
Small boat debris on the beach in Wimereux near Calais as migrants continue to launch small boats along the coastline in a bid to cross the Channel towards the UK
A RNLI Dover lifeboat was launched just after 5.30am on Thursday morning at the request of the UK Coastguard in Dover to rescue a boat in distress
Lifeboat crew reported there were 23 other people on the 6-foot grey rib that was caught out in rough seas. A rescue and recovery operation was launched with a helicopter seen airlifting a person to hospital
Migrants are escorted by Border Force staff into Dover harbour after crossing the Channel this morning, with the crisis continuing
The number of migrants who made the crossing today is unclear, though it comes after Tuesday saw nearly 1,000 detained
A newly arrived migrant is seen on board a bus in Dover harbour after crossing the channel this morning and being detained by the Border Force
Today's arrivals come as ministers are discussing opening an asylum centre in Albania, which they believe would act as a deterrent for migrants crossing from northern France
Anyone seeking asylum in Britain after arriving by illegal routes, such as in dinghies and small boats, would be flown out to the new centre within seven days, the Times said.
However, the project could cost the British taxpayer £100,000 per migrant for flights and accommodation.
'Off shore processing is our best hope now, as nothing else is working,' an unnamed minister told the newspaper.
Earlier reports of plans for offshore processing centres including using disused oil rigs in the North Sea - which were mooted last year - ultimately proved fruitless.
But the likelihood of sealing a deal with Tirana were now 'looking good', a UK government source said, despite Albanian foreign minister Olta Xhacka rubbishing the idea just last month.
The latest development in the migrant crisis comes after Home Secretary Priti Patel vowed earlier this week to stop '100 per cent' of Channel crossings from France.
But her claim that she had agreed the plan with French counterpart Gerald Darmanin was then contradicted by Paris yesterday.
Dan O'Mahoney, Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, said: 'We are facing a global migration crisis and the number of people arriving on UK shores is unacceptable.
'We must work closely with our European and international partners to target the ruthless organised criminal gangs behind these deadly crossing and welcome the French Government's commitment to step up action to prevent crossings, including increased surveillance, greater intelligence sharing and deployment of frontline operations
'The New Plan for Immigration will fix the broken system, break the deadly business model of the people smugglers and prevent further loss of life.'
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has confirmed that the Government is looking at processing migrants who cross the Channel in small boats overseas.
He told LBC Radio: 'First of all, you're always better off dealing with the flow of migrants from a crisis or a conflict in the region itself, our overwhelming focus is on that. It's better for migrants, it's better to be resettled and relocated nearer to your home.
'But to the extent that we get this flow over to the UK, it's important to reduce the pull factor, we will work with all our partners - and it's not just one country, we've looked at the Australian experience, we've been talking with the Danes about this and we want to make sure the processing, if it's possible - and that will depend on the good will and co-operation of partners - can be done elsewhere.'
Asked if this will include Albania and Rwanda, he said: 'Let me avoid talking about individual countries but just say with international partners this is something we're probing because we want to test the idea because we will do everything we can to resolve this problem.'
Pressed if the plan will cost
