Migrants trying to reach the UK from France via boats are using "surge tactics" to increase their chances of getting past patrols, the National Crime Agency said.

During 2019 nearly 1,900 people tried to make the dangerous journey across the English Channel in small craft. The majority of them were from Iran.

Steve Reynolds, from the crime agency, said: "They may think if they make a large number of departures on a particular day at least some of them are more likely to get through."

One charity which works with refugees said the government should consider letting migrants make asylum claims from France, as a way of preventing the crossings.

Report by Colin Campbell, BBC South East Special Correspondent.