France stopped two-thirds of small boats bound for Britain last month, new figures have revealed with ministers hailing the reduction as proving the value of the £660m deal to slash Channel crossings.
According to Home Office data, 53 boats carrying illegal migrants were seized by French authorities during May, while 29 made it to Britain uncontested - meaning only 35 per cent of attempted crossings proved successful.
The revised £660million deal for heightened beach patrols and more robust enforcement in the Channel from French enforcement officials was struck back in April.
Compared to previous months, the interception rate in May was up four per cent over the rest of the year, with 1,273 individuals prevented from reaching British soil.
While a significant number of boats were stopped in their tracks, 1,924 migrants successfully made the journey - 40 per cent of individuals who attempted the crossing.
Alex Norris, minister for border security and asylum, said the fresh figures demonstrated a significant improvement for the Government in tackling the crisis.
He said: "Our work with France is cracking down on small boat launches and stopping the criminal smuggling gangs in their tracks.
"This builds on the 44,000 small boat crossing attempts prevented since the election."
Compared to previous months, the interception rate in May was up four percent over the rest of the year
| PAMr Norris pointed to new specialist French police units in place this summer, and said the Government will use "every tool at our disposal" to restore integrity to the UK border.
Home Office data puts the recorded number of successful crossings so far this year at 9,142 - a sizeable drop from the 15,212 over the same period of 2025.
Border Force reports described the drop in quality of migrant smuggler vessels, equipped with less powerful motors and less durable exteriors against the harsh weather conditions.
With crossings being intercepted from Calais, many boats have begun launching from farther north, with one in four boats taking off from beaches in Belgium in an attempt to avoid authorities.
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Questions have been raised about whether France could do more to prevent taxi boat operations launched from inland waterways, picking up migrants in instalments.
A total of eight of these taxi boats have been intercepted by authorities so far this year, two of which since the new three-year deal was struck on April 23.
The new deal included an additional vessel and a bolster of 20 new maritime police officers, specifically targeting taxi boat services before they reach the Channel.
To the frustration of critics, French law still prohibits the intervention of boats carrying more than 20 people on board, highlighting the focus on stopping taxi boats before they fill up.
The new deal included an additional vessel and a bolster of 20 new maritime police officers
| PAThe Government has also struck a new deal with the EU, rapidly gaining access to vehicle data to tackle smuggling gangs, drastically reducing the time border force and police must wait on intel from weeks to minutes.
Charlie Eastaugh, head of maritime and small boats in the Home Office's border command, said: "Thanks to the excellent cooperation between the UK and France, for the first time ever French law enforcement officers are carrying out operations against small boats at sea.
"This spring has already seen robust action, with eight interventions and multiple smugglers facing jail time.
"My message to these criminals is that no one is beyond the arm of the law."