People sit next to a boat used to cross the Channel after being rescued by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) at a beach in Dungeness, England. /Ben Stansall/AFP
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, also known as Frontex, has deployed a plane to support French and Belgian authorities trying to spot illegal boat crossing activity. The move comes just a week after 27 people drowned when their dinghy deflated in the Channel on route to the UK.
In a statement, Frontex said the plane, provided by Denmark, had landed in Lille, northern France, adding that the aircraft was equipped with modern sensors and radar to support land and sea border control. The objective of the operation is to prevent the rising number of sea crossings.
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Frontex Director Fabrice Leggeri said: "The evolution of the situation in the Channel is a matter of concern. Upon the request from member states, Frontex deployed a plane in France to support them with aerial surveillance in just three days."
He continued: "We are starting with one plane, but we stand ready to reinforce our support if needed."
The deployment was decided during a meeting on Sunday in Calais between French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and some of his European counterparts, an event to which UK Home Secretary Priti Patel had been disinvited following a letter from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson that angered Paris.
France and Britain are also currently in major disagreement over post-Brexit trading rules and fishing rights.