The consequences of illegal immigration are now setting the French coast ablaze. A home was destroyed and around 190 hectares of vegetation burned last month, after two fires broke out in the dunes around Neufchâtel-Hardelot and Dannes. The area has become a staging ground for immigrants waiting to illegally cross the English Channel.
It is yet another warning that this crisis does not begin when a dinghy enters British waters. Rather, the disorder starts on French beaches, where people-smuggling gangs operate and where charities provide the supplies that facilitate illegal crossings.
French gendarmes reportedly intervened to stop two boats being launched from a 500-metre stretch of beach. During one confrontation, officers used an MP7 tear-gas grenade to force illegal immigrants to abandon their departure. The grenade is believed to have ignited one inflatable boat, with the fire then spreading into the dunes.
A second boat was allegedly set alight by immigrants themselves, according to several sources cited in the French press. Another fire was reported near the house that was later destroyed.
High temperatures, strong winds and dry vegetation allowed the flames to spread rapidly. Prosecutors have opened an investigation into possibly deliberate arson or accidental destruction caused by a breach of safety rules.
The area has already suffered several smaller fires recently, but this latest disaster has intensified anger in Neufchâtel-Hardelot. Here, residents have launched a petition warning of a “deterioration of the feeling of security”.
The report described break-ins by illegal immigrants into private properties and gardens, alongside other disturbances.
The petition demands stronger fire-prevention measures, increased surveillance and the proper investigation of reported incidents. Residents also want checks to establish the identities of those present and whether they have a legal right to remain in France.
They say the authorities’ failure to provide a clear response to mass illegal immigration has created a “feeling of abandonment”. Unless action is taken, they intend to escalate the case to the Prefect of Pas-de-Calais and government ministers.
The French public, just like the British, are being forced to live with the consequences of political cowardice and a reluctance to enforce borders.
It is not only government that locals are up against. Despite the growing disorder, charities continue to provide illegal migrants with the food, water, clothing and practical assistance that allows them to remain near the beaches and repeatedly attempt to enter Britain illegally.
Volunteers from the French charity Opal’Exil described supporting a family that had spent six days hiding in woodland while waiting to cross the Channel. The family had already tried to board a boat 18 times. Having had their asylum application rejected in Germany, they were preparing to try again to reach Britain. Another migrant interviewed by Le Monde near Dannes-Camiers railway station said he had attempted to board a boat seven times in just two weeks.
This is far from humanitarian. By sustaining these repeated attempts to breach Britain’s borders, these charities are knowingly facilitating criminal activity and assisting the people-smuggling trade.
Under a Reform UK government, any British charity found knowingly aiding or abetting illegal immigration would face investigation and legal action.
The assistance given to immigrants between crossings is especially alarming, because every new attempt is becoming more dangerous. Although fewer departures have reportedly been attempted overall, the smuggling gangs have responded by packing far more people into each boat - creating the so-called "mega-dinghies" now crossing the Channel. Sixteen boats carrying more than 100 people have been reported since the beginning of 2026, with a record of one makeshift boat carrying 230 migrants in August. At an estimated £2,000 per passenger, a boat carrying that many people could earn smugglers around £460,000 from a single crossing.
Successive British governments have handed more than £1 billion to France, yet the boats keep coming. Reform UK would replace this disastrous approach with Operation Fortress, the largest military operation in the Channel since the Second World War. British forces would intercept the boats, remove those aboard and return them to the port they left from - usually France.
To help stop the boats once and for all, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage signed a landmark agreement with National Rally president Jordan Bardella - who is in pole position to become the next French prime minister - at Reform’s Party Conference in Birmingham earlier this month. Under that deal, a future National Rally government would accept the return of boats launched from France - and would deport those illegal migrants back to their country of origin.
The political establishment in both France and the UK have allowed this crisis to spiral out of control, with ordinary people bearing the burden. Only Reform UK will secure Britain’s borders and stop the boats for good.
It is yet another warning that this crisis does not begin when a dinghy enters British waters. Rather, the disorder starts on French beaches, where people-smuggling gangs operate and where charities provide the supplies that facilitate illegal crossings.
French gendarmes reportedly intervened to stop two boats being launched from a 500-metre stretch of beach. During one confrontation, officers used an MP7 tear-gas grenade to force illegal immigrants to abandon their departure. The grenade is believed to have ignited one inflatable boat, with the fire then spreading into the dunes.
A second boat was allegedly set alight by immigrants themselves, according to several sources cited in the French press. Another fire was reported near the house that was later destroyed.
High temperatures, strong winds and dry vegetation allowed the flames to spread rapidly. Prosecutors have opened an investigation into possibly deliberate arson or accidental destruction caused by a breach of safety rules.
The area has already suffered several smaller fires recently, but this latest disaster has intensified anger in Neufchâtel-Hardelot. Here, residents have launched a petition warning of a “deterioration of the feeling of security”.
The report described break-ins by illegal immigrants into private properties and gardens, alongside other disturbances.
The petition demands stronger fire-prevention measures, increased surveillance and the proper investigation of reported incidents. Residents also want checks to establish the identities of those present and whether they have a legal right to remain in France.
They say the authorities’ failure to provide a clear response to mass illegal immigration has created a “feeling of abandonment”. Unless action is taken, they intend to escalate the case to the Prefect of Pas-de-Calais and government ministers.
The French public, just like the British, are being forced to live with the consequences of political cowardice and a reluctance to enforce borders.
It is not only government that locals are up against. Despite the growing disorder, charities continue to provide illegal migrants with the food, water, clothing and practical assistance that allows them to remain near the beaches and repeatedly attempt to enter Britain illegally.
Volunteers from the French charity Opal’Exil described supporting a family that had spent six days hiding in woodland while waiting to cross the Channel. The family had already tried to board a boat 18 times. Having had their asylum application rejected in Germany, they were preparing to try again to reach Britain. Another migrant interviewed by Le Monde near Dannes-Camiers railway station said he had attempted to board a boat seven times in just two weeks.
This is far from humanitarian. By sustaining these repeated attempts to breach Britain’s borders, these charities are knowingly facilitating criminal activity and assisting the people-smuggling trade.
Under a Reform UK government, any British charity found knowingly aiding or abetting illegal immigration would face investigation and legal action.
The assistance given to immigrants between crossings is especially alarming, because every new attempt is becoming more dangerous. Although fewer departures have reportedly been attempted overall, the smuggling gangs have responded by packing far more people into each boat - creating the so-called "mega-dinghies" now crossing the Channel. Sixteen boats carrying more than 100 people have been reported since the beginning of 2026, with a record of one makeshift boat carrying 230 migrants in August. At an estimated £2,000 per passenger, a boat carrying that many people could earn smugglers around £460,000 from a single crossing.
Successive British governments have handed more than £1 billion to France, yet the boats keep coming. Reform UK would replace this disastrous approach with Operation Fortress, the largest military operation in the Channel since the Second World War. British forces would intercept the boats, remove those aboard and return them to the port they left from - usually France.
To help stop the boats once and for all, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage signed a landmark agreement with National Rally president Jordan Bardella - who is in pole position to become the next French prime minister - at Reform’s Party Conference in Birmingham earlier this month. Under that deal, a future National Rally government would accept the return of boats launched from France - and would deport those illegal migrants back to their country of origin.
The political establishment in both France and the UK have allowed this crisis to spiral out of control, with ordinary people bearing the burden. Only Reform UK will secure Britain’s borders and stop the boats for good.
