Dozens of migrants desperately clamber onto dinghy trying to reach Britain before French police intercept them…on the day Bibby Stockholm asylum seeker barge arrives in Dorset

Dozens of migrants have been pictured scrambling onto a flimsy dinghy off the French coast in a desperate attempt to reach Britain before being intercepted by police.

The thwarted crossing comes as the Bibby Stockholm, a controversial floating vessel intended to house hundreds of male asylum seekers, arrived at its final destination on the Dorset coast this morning.

Disturbing footage shows the huge number of people clinging to a small boat just meters from the beach in Sangette, northern France, as they attempt to make the perilous journey to Britain.

Hundreds of migrants crossed the English Channel in small boats today as smugglers took advantage of the calm conditions.

French policemen patrolling the coast were pictured trying to prevent the departure of an inflatable boat, which was overfilled and could barely stay afloat.

The agents involved in the operation are said to come from the Direction Centrale de la police aux frontières, which is responsible for border control.

Sangatte, outside Calais, is known as the home of an ad hoc camp built for migrants trying to reach Britain.

It is a popular starting point for migrants who feel they have no choice but to make the dangerous crossing.

There are constant patrols on the beaches in the area, and earlier this year UK Border Force officers patrolled French beaches for the first time in an attempt to stem the flow of migrants into the country.

Last year a record 45,755 people came to Britain in small boats across the Channel, mostly from France.

More than 12,000 have arrived this year, similar to 2022.

Border Force ships have been bringing in groups of asylum seekers all day after days of high winds creating treacherous conditions in the Strait of Dover.

At one point the large Border Force catamaran Hurricane was followed into port, another catamaran Ranger into Dover harbour, full of people being picked up at sea in small boats.

Men, women and young children were among those brought ashore at the processing center at the port’s former jetfoil terminal.

It is the first to land in the UK by small boat since Friday since 56 were intercepted in one boat.

So far this month 1,767 have made the crossing in 33 boats.

And in 2023, a total of 13,250 have been collected in 290 boats.

Last year, a record 45,755 people made the treacherous crossing – 60 percent more than the 2021 total of 28,526.

But officials have predicted that as many as 80,000 migrants could reach the UK by the end of this year.

The UK government has made an effort to figure out how to accommodate those arriving in the country, with housing costs for those being processed skyrocketing.

Amid a backlog of asylum applications in the UK, the government is trying to cut the cost of hotel bills by using alternative accommodation, including the Bibby Stockholm and former military bases.

The Bibby Stockholm, a three-storey accommodation ship with a length of 93 meters, can accommodate up to 500 migrants.

The first asylum seekers in the popular seaside resort are expected on board the ship later this month.

It departed yesterday from Falmouth in Cornwall to its final destination Portland, near Weymouth.

But the move has sparked protests from locals who fear the impact the new arrivals will have on the city’s community.

This morning a crowd of people were seen holding signs reading ‘no ship’, ‘Portland Port betray Portland’ and ‘Portland betray’ outside Portland Port near Weymouth as they waited for the ships to arrive.

Local politicians have dismissed the plans as “cruel and unusual,” adding that the community lacks the proper infrastructure to house more people in the area.