TWO people have reportedly died while trying to cross the Channel, with more feared drowned.
A desperate rescue operation is underway on the beach at Sangatte in northern France after the tragedy in the early hours this morning.
Cops and fire crews have scrambled in huge numbers to the beach near the Tom Souville base.
There are fears that more people may have drowned in the small boat crossing.
It comes after hundreds of people crossed the Channel on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and December 27.
More than 150,000 people have made the dangerous crossing from France since records began in 2018.
This year alone, 35,898 people have crossed the Channel, up 22 per cent on the same period last year.
The rise has been fuelled by calm weather, with October and November seeing 26 “red days”, when crossings are more likely.
At least 50 people have died attempting the journey this year, the highest toll since early 2018.
The crisis has been building steadily since then, when just 299 asylum seekers were detected.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has promised tougher action against the smuggling gangs.
She said: “In 2025, we will bring forward new legislation to give law enforcement tougher powers to investigate, prosecute and disrupt organised immigration crime.
“The criminals breaching our border security need to know they will face the full force of both the UK and international law enforcement and justice systems.”
Cooper said that next year, biometric kits and body-worn cameras will be introduced to quickly identify those with no right to be or work in the UK.
She added: “This is all part of this Government’s Plan for Change to strengthen our borders and fix the foundations of a broken immigration system, while also putting more money in people’s pockets and making the NHS fit for the future.”
Cops have scrambled to the beach at Sangatte in northern France