Two brand-new inflatable boats that migrants left behind them in Dunes de la Slack, 30 kilometres south of Calais, on September 1st, 2020, after a French police operation prevented them from boarding | Photo: InfoMigrants
Two brand-new inflatable boats that migrants left behind them in Dunes de la Slack, 30 kilometres south of Calais, on September 1st, 2020, after a French police operation prevented them from boarding | Photo: InfoMigrants

The number of migrants attempting to cross the English Channel on small boats has increased dramatically following months of good weather and a fall in freight traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic. InfoMigrants visited the 80 kilometer-long stretch of coastline in the Calais region as the numbers of boat crossings hit a new daily high, with 416 migrants reaching the UK on September 3.