A FRENCH warship escorted 13 migrants crammed on a tiny dinghy into British waters before leaving them with baffled GMB reporters.
The ITV crew had to alert UK officials after the ship left the passengers stranded with them at the border.
8
A French warship escorted migrants to the British border Credit: ITV 8
GMB journalist Pip Tomson filmed the crossing today Credit: ITV
It comes after 430 migrants crossed the English Channel on Monday - the largest number ever for a single day since the crisis began.
GMB journalist Pip Tomson explained how the team agreed to "observe" the migrants while in the Channel as the Border Force were busy handling other crossings.
She said a jet-ski eventually turned up around 20 minutes later to escort the dinghy to the English coastline.
Ms Tomson also revealed she saw a person fall overboard before being rescued.
Ministers are preparing to debate the controversial Borders Bill today.
The legislation looks to deter illegal entry and crackdown on people-smuggling gangs by making it a criminal offence for migrants to attempt to enter the UK without valid entry clearance.
The overhaul of the current regime would also give border guards patrolling the Channel greater powers to turn back migrant boats.
MIGRANT BILL
The journalist said: "That is why the Government is introducing this very controversial bill.
"Although waters might be calm today, politically, they are very choppy.
"Because Labour and many charities are in uproar about this they say this bill is not humane, it is not fair.
"It will create a two-tier system and people shouldn't be granted asylum on the basis of how they've made this journey.
"Because what the government is saying is that they want to crack down on the smugglers who are facilitating these crossings, they are saying they could face up to life in prison.
"And these migrants here, I think there's actually ten of them, they could face up to four years in jail."
CRISIS
Yesterday's drastic figure takes the number of migrants to have arrived this year already to 8,159 this year - compared to the record yearly figure of 8,410 in 2020.
The last record day was on September 22, 2020, when 393 made it across in 26 boats.
On Sunday, 241 made the 21-mile journey across the busiest shipping route in the world in eight boats on Sunday.
Footage yesterday shows a boat of 30 migrants landing on a beach in Kingsdown, Kent, in front of stunned sunbathers.
Within seconds they fled in front of stunned locals and tourists who were sunbathing at 11am.
One woman who witnessed the incident told The Sun: "It was unbelievable.
"They managed to get on land and then just ran all over the place in every direction.
"I've never seen anything like it before in my life. I only came down here for a bit of sun. It's a lovely little spot.
Most read in News
Latest
'NURSE' ATTACKED'Nurse' stabbed at Wolverhampton hospital, man, 21, arrested for wounding
PORN ARRESTShilpa Shetty's husband arrested after 'luring woman into making porn film'
KERB ITOutraged families told to pay ￡215 to drive across pavement to their OWN homes
VILE ATTACKPregnant teen suffers miscarriage after being kicked in stomach and stamped on
TAKE THE TESTThis simple five-minute quiz could detect if your child has autism
"I was just topping up my tan and then this happened. It was a real shock."
Migrant boat crossings have dramatically increased this year and in recent weeks they have been arriving in larger boats.
Home Secretary Priti Patel's proposed crackdown comes after June saw more migrants cross the Channel by small boat than in any month ever before.
8
GMB said slammed Border Force officials couldn't immediately come to their aid Credit: ITV 8
People thought to be migrants make their way up the beach after arriving on a small boat at Dungeness in Kent Credit: PA 8
A man celebrates after arriving on the Kent beach Credit: PA 8
A man helps a visibly ill woman from the beach Credit: PA 8
A record of 430 migrants crossed the English Channel yesterday Credit: PA 8
Migrants stormed a beach in Kent in front of shocked sunbathers Credit: The Sun
Sunbathers shocked as boat of migrants land on Kent beach and run off in front of them