Border Force 'to buy two jet skis to patrol Channel' after record number of migrant crossings

Border Force is planning to buy two jet skis to help agents patrol the channel after migrant crossings spiked this month, according to reports.

The new jet skis have to be "powerful enough to tow if required," an official tender document seen by the Times said.

The Yamaha jet skis under Home Office consideration typically cost between £15,000 and £20,000.

Officials reportedly want the vessels to be significantly adapted for use in the English Channel, including adding GPS systems, cruise control and an 18,000cc engine.

It comes after the number of migrants making the treacherous crossing from France reached record levels, with 416 people arriving in one day.

Many of the migrants cross in small dinghies that make the journey even more dangerous.

Sudanese man Abdulfatah Hamdallah drowned while trying to make the crossing in August. He was in a small inflatable boat, using shovels for oars.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has pledged to cut the number of people arriving in the UK via this route, making former Royal Marine Dan O’Mahoney the Clandestine Channel Threat Commander.

Tony Smith, the former head of Border Force, said: "I hope that common sense will prevail, and that the French and British governments will be able to reach agreement on a joint intervention and returns strategy which would both save lives and prevent others from taking similar risks in future.

"This will become even more relevant with the onset of winter and rough seas, whereupon I fear we will see many more drownings if this practice continues unchecked," he told the Times.

Judith Dennis, policy manager at the Refugee Council, said: “People who cross the Channel for the purpose of seeking protection in the UK are breaking no laws – quite the opposite, in fact, they are exercising their rights under the Refugee Convention to seek asylum.”