Fresh anger over asylum policy after Channel boat deaths

Calls this week mounted in the UK and France for the introduction of safe routes for refugees crossing the Channel after a French organisation said it had received multiple distress calls from people making the crossing.

- Diane Taylor and Aletha Adu

At least six people lost their lives last Saturday trying to cross the Channel in a small boat and the organisation issued warnings that more lives would be lost unless there were significant government policy changes.

The French authorities led on the incident as it happened in French waters with support from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, alongside RNLI, in conducting a search and rescue operation.

The NGO Utopia 56, which works to support migrants in northern France and operates an emergency number for people to call if they get into distress in the Channel, warned more deaths would follow unless safe routes were introduced to keep people from making the dangerous crossings.

Last Thursday, 756 people crossed the Channel in 14 boats and on Friday 343 people crossed in six boats.

Utopia 56 coordinator Axel Gaudinat said it received three distress calls from people who got into difficulty in small boats between Wednesday and Thursday and another distress call between Thursday and Friday.