Migrant boats often lack the power to cut through the water, meaning they can veer off course at any moment.

A witness revealed: “It was alarming to see French patrol vessels escorting migrant dinghies directly through the ferry routes, which are also within the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

“We could hear the chaos on the radio on our way out – sometimes we could even hear the French Coast Guard calling ferries still within UK waters and asking them to keep clear of oncoming migrant dinghies heading towards the UK.

“I’ve never heard anything like this before.

“It shows complete disregard for the safety of all the passengers on the ferries.

“The ferry route is there to help the ferries cross the busy shipping lanes safely.

“Asking them to deviate from this route could cause possible collisions with large ships travelling in the shipping lanes.”

The Daily Express has obtained video recordings of numerous rescues in the Channel on Friday.

They show large dinghies carrying dozens of people being shadowed by French rescue vessels before they are eventually picked up by Border Force personnel.

In one, officers on the Hurricane rescue vessel can be seen slowly helping migrants off the back of their boat.

Another shows just how chaotic the Channel was on Friday, with two Border Force vessels and a lifeboat all within close proximity.

Sources said they were “running all day” as smugglers launched waves of dinghies, leading to the deployment of the RNLI to help prevent the authorities being totally overwhelmed.

A Mayday call heard by the Daily Express also revealed people were plunged into the water as the UK rescue ship pulled up alongside.

It warned of “persons in the water at Border Force Hurricane” before adding “any vessels able to assist, contact Dover Coastguard”.

Emergency crews are then heard asking staff on Hurricane if they had any “medical concerns” and to confirm everyone was accounted for.

Some 1,072 people were detected in 13 boats, meaning a shocking average of 82 were crammed into unseaworthy vessels as smugglers exploited a narrow window of good weather.

And 85 people were detected on a single boat on Saturday, continuing the alarming trend of bigger boats.

It takes the number of people who have made the crossing so far in 2025 to 32,188 – a record for this point in a year.

But on Sunday, Labour defended its “one in, one out” deal with France after just three people were deported during its first week – as 1,157 arrived on small boats.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said: “The truth is we exited the EU, we left the Dublin Convention, we did not have arrangements in place with countries to return.

“This pilot is the first step at a negotiated deal with France for one in, one out, and I’m pleased that has now happened despite attempts in the courts to thwart that. It’s the beginning, not the end of the story.”

Pressed on rising fury over the Channel migrant crisis and the lack of returns, Mr Lammy admitted: “I recognise that this is frustrating, of course it’s frustrating to see people coming across in this way and it’s deeply disturbing and troubling when people are losing their lives because of these gangs.

“But people also want to see the Government making an attempt to rebuild a system that was broken by the last government.

“Just a few weeks ago, many journalists were speculating we wouldn’t be able to do a deal with France, we’ve got that deal, but it’s the beginning and not the end.

“It’s an important deal to have struck and if we can build on it over the coming months and increase the numbers that’s what I expect the Home Secretary will be doing.”

Shocking new figures published on Sunday also revealed a surge in migrants claiming to be slaves in a bid to avoid being deported.

The Home Office received 4,646 modern slavery referrals last year, a 250 per cent increase on the 1,307 in 2020.

And there was a sharp increase in dubious claims, with 65 per cent of last year’s referrals being found to have no “reasonable grounds”, compared with 16 per cent four years earlier.

Channel smugglers have vowed to expand their networks and launch even bigger boats, with criminals believing they could send 2,000 people in dinghies every day.

Rob Lawrie, a former soldier who has been speaking to people smugglers for a new podcast, said the Home Office would have to deport 2,000 migrants a week for it to be a deterrent.

He said: “I was talking to a smuggler in Germany last week who said the UK needs to be sending back at least 2,000 a week – and even if that happened they could send 2,000 more a day the other way.

“It’s that much money involved in the people smuggling network… I’m talking hundreds of millions.

“He also pointed out that down the line – ”next season” he called it – they’re introducing 18-metre boats. We’ve had one this year with 132 migrants on board.

“I understand this is a pilot scheme, but in order for this to be effective they need to have about two to three thousand migrants a week heading to France – and even that won’t meet the number of migrants coming across the Channel.”

Donald Trump advised Sir Keir Starmer to call in the military to stop Channel migrant crossings.

The US president warned the Prime Minister that illegal immigration “destroys countries from within”, adding that it’s a “very hard chore” to carry out a mass deportation programme.