Migrants boarded small boat to UK, leaving others behind with deflated dinghy

A group of migrants were seen boarding a small boat towards the UK at first light leaving many others on the French coast after a dinghy deflated.

A group of men and women carrying some small children were pictured waiting to cross the Channel on Gravelines beach in northern France on Wednesday morning.

Having moved onto the beach in darkness, avoiding the French police, the group of migrants waited at the water’s edge as a black dinghy came towards them.

It quickly became clear though that before the migrants could board the boat, it had begun to deflate.

As the sun rose the dinghy was beached and the group of migrants, many still wearing orange life vests, were left waiting on the sand.

Elsewhere on Graveslines beach, a separate group of people were then seen dashing from the sand dunes into the water, as a second boat arrived.

Roughly 30 people were pictured scrambling aboard the dinghy before it set off across the Channel towards Dover.

French Police vehicles were in the sand dunes trying to search for and deter potential crossings.

Later on Wednesday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to meet with Western Balkans leaders to discuss reducing the number of migrants arriving unauthorised.

The number of migrant arrivals in small boats has topped 36,000 in 2025 so far, and is close to exceeding the 36,816 which was the total number of arrivals in 2024.

Last year, small boat crossings made up 4% of overall immigration to the UK, but more than 80% of unauthorised arrivals.