The numbers attempting the crossing have increased ten-fold in just two months, with latest figures showing 82 have tried since Christmas Eve.

Last night immigration minister Caroline Nokes said the number of incidents involving migrants crossing the English Channel in recent days was "deeply concerning".

Mr Wood said people smugglers had become emboldened because they knew they only had to get the migrants halfway across the Channel before being rescued by Border Force and RNLI lifeboats and brought to the shore. Once on dry land, they could then try and claim asylum.

“Britain’s border force, coastguards and lifeboats are being used as a taxi service for the migrants,” Mr Wood told The Daily Telegraph

“As far as organised crime is concerned, it’s de-risked their business. They know they don’t have to get right across the Channel and land, they can get half way across and the migrants will be taken the rest of the way.

“We have to stop this or it will grow and grow. It will escalate. The answer is to return them to France as soon as they are picked up.

“If we did that straight away, they would realise that paying £5,000 to the people smugglers would achieve nothing and they would just be taken back to France.

“Given that the immigrants travelled from France, it would not be unlawful if the French agreed. In theory, under the Dublin agreement, there are circumstances when immigrants can be returned to France even when landed in the UK.”