The government has claimed that new measures to crack down on attempts by migrants to reach the UK by crossing the channel are already succeeding.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said the joint measures being implemented by both the UK border force and their French counterparts have reduced the number of crossings, many of which are thought to be organised by criminal gangs.

The government has signed an agreement with France to collaborate on tackling the problem. The partnership includes stepping up patrols on both sides of the channel and investment in more CCTV cameras at ports to monitor and intervene when migrants are seen.

The Home Secretary said in a written statement this week: “Good progress has been made to date. The re-deployment of Border Force assets and use of aerial surveillance has substantially improved coverage in the Channel and our extensive work with our French counterparts has improved co-ordination, both on land and at sea.

“Through these efforts, we have managed to reduce the number of individuals attempting the crossing from around 250 in December to around 90 so far in January, with roughly half of the January attempts being intercepted by partners in France before they can make it to British waters.

"But even one crossing is too many and I am determined that we make further efforts to deter both the facilitators and the individuals making these crossings.”

The scale of the problem was questioned by refugee charities when they appeared before the cross-party home affairs select committee last week.

Mr Javid said in his statement: “We will not allow illegal migration and its facilitators to flourish, and we will continue to work closely with France and other countries to provide a strong deterrent against these dangerous crossings. This includes making it clear that those fearing persecution should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach.”

Dover MP Charlie Elphick tweeted: “Welcome progress made in tackling the small boat migrant crisis by @ukhomeoffice so far. The best deterrent will always be for traffickers to know that there will be no hope of migrants reaching the UK.”