It was business as usual for the people smugglers in northern France this morning – regardless of the talks between Britain and France today.
Pretty much regardless of the French police expensively funded by UK taxpayers too, it seemed.
All we saw the local emergency services do was pull those in trouble back to shore, and wave them goodbye, ready to try again tomorrow.
The Mail came across its first dinghy at just after 5am, a mile inland in the middle of the town of Gravelines, already afloat and ready to head for the Channel on a river canal notorious for launchings.
The rubber boat was making no progress, and was sitting empty – but only because the migrants due to pilot and ride in it to Dover were stuck waist deep in the slimy sludge of the river L’Aa.
This spot, beside a smart steak frites restaurant, is so well known as an embarkation point for so called ‘taxi boats’ that the Mail has been on the scene in Gravelines for two previous launchings here in the past three weeks alone.
One might have thought the police would make monitoring it a priority.
Yet this morning’s dinghy, complete with its outboard motor, had been put to water at first light untroubled.
A migrant who found himself trapped in silt close to the French coastline begged police to shoot him as he struggled, telling them: ‘I want to die’
Around a dozen people hoping to travel to Britain found themselves stuck in the mud on the River L’Aa this morning
Some of the men were eventually able to climb free after being tossed a rope by the emergency services
The only problem was that the people smugglers behind it seem not to have taken account of the low tide – and at least a dozen migrants had got stuck in the glutinously sticky silt of the waterway.
As we watched, six of them were still stuck fast, crying pitifully for help to the ten police at the top of the stone bank 15 feet up.
‘My legs are stuck, please help me, I’m dying,’ sobbed one man, who later told us he was from the Punjab in India.
‘Shoot me, if you want to kill me. Shoot me, I want to die.’
Alongside his prospective shipmates, the stricken man was in fact soon to be rescued – as the watching police were soon joined by a half a dozen firemen.
In a fairly Heath Robinson operation, ropes were hitched to the balustrade at the top, for the migrants to hold on to, and ladders laid down the sloping bank to help them out.
The sobbing stricken man – who was being calmed by more relaxed migrants who simply sat still in the mud and waited for rescue – added before escaping the sludge: ‘I’ll tell you everything, but let me come up first.’
It was no surprise that while the migrant might have expected a grilling about the people smugglers behind the operation, the police took no interest.
The group had attempted to set off at first light, but did not appear to have accounted for the low tide
Some of those trapped in the silt were extremely distressed as they begged for help
All of the men were freed from the sludge-ridden river bed by emergency services as the man who had begged police to shoot him (centre) was calmed by his comrades
Firefighters brought ropes and ladders to free the stricken would-be sailors before leaving them to dry out
A man is thrown rope by firefighters in order to climb out of the sludgy riverbed in northern France
Firefighters also used ladders to help the migrants out of their predicament, holding them for support
The rescue operation was supervised by police – who then let the men on their way after ensuring they were safe
The migrants stood in silt-drenched clothes after they were freed from the trapping mud of the L’Aa
For up to two hours, meanwhile, at least ten police, plus the firemen, were tied up with ensuring the would–be passengers of this boat were safe and well.
The dinghy meanwhile was left to drift into the centre of the L’Aa river canal, where it settled on a sandbank.
Four and a half hours later it was still there – with three policemen apparently detailed to stay there and watch it, so it could not be motored off by people smugglers to pick up more migrants on a beach.
No move was made to slash it, despite talk of tougher tactics.
And while such a significant group of emergency services personnel were tied up here a mile inland, migrants elsewhere were setting sail for England unhindered.
As we reached Gravelines’ two mile beach at 6am, we could see another dinghy was already on its way.
With some 50, largely African, migrants aboard, only the majority in lifejackets, it powered its way slowly away.
Police stand guard beside the dinghy the men had attempted to set off in. It drifted to the centre of the canal as the tide changed
The men are seen standing at the river bank after being freed – drenched in an unpleasant mixture of water and silt
Further along the coast, another dinghy packed densely with migrants – some of whom were not wearing life jackets – successfully stole away into the Channel
The boat appeared to have travelled from elsewhere as a ‘taxi’ – picking up migrants without getting close enough to the coast to attract the police
Some of the men appeared to wave at the Mail’s photographer as they set off for Britain
It had arrived from the east, from the Dunkirk side of Gravelines, and at first headed towards the beach, presumably preparing to act in classic ‘taxi boat’ fashion – after launching undisturbed, perhaps inland, picking up more migrants stood in the surf, free from police action.
There were no £1,200–a–trip passengers to collect here, so the dinghy turned around and headed across the Channel. Some of the migrants waved to us ashore.
One made a two–fingered peace sign. It may as well have been a victory sign.
Back at the canal one officer had been asked why police had not moved to slash the dinghy.
‘Cut its sides?’ he asked, aghast. ‘Of course not. That would have been too dangerous.’
