Belgium emerges as new launching point for small boat migrants gunning for British shores

Oliver Partridge
Sun, 19 Apr 2026 19:14:00 +0000

Belgium has emerged as a significant new launching point for migrants attempting to reach Britain via small boat, with more than 20 vessels departing from West Flanders beaches in recent weeks.

This represents a dramatic escalation from previous years, when the region saw no more than two such departures.

The surge comes at the beginning of the traditional crossing season, suggesting people-smuggling networks are expanding their operations.

Carl Decaluwe, the regional governor, described the shift as a deliberate strategy.

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"It appears to be a new tactic by people smugglers, sending as many boats as possible into the North Sea at once," he told the Telegraph.

In the early hours of last Saturday, two dinghies packed with asylum seekers were observed setting off from Nieuwpoort.

In the UK, asylum seekers receive three daily meals, complimentary toiletries, healthcare, legal assistance and entertainment, along with a weekly cash allowance of £49, whereas Belgium provides roughly £8 per week.

While many UK asylum seekers are housed in three and four-star hotels, those in Belgium endure far more austere circumstances.

At a facility near Koksijde, a converted barracks close to war graves, residents reportedly sleep eight to a room on camp beds divided only by curtains.

The accommodation features approximately seven or eight toilets for every 50 men, while each sleeping area offers little more than a few clothing hooks and a small camping table.

Some asylum seekers remain in these cramped conditions for over two years awaiting decisions on their applications.

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Belgian authorities have adopted an approach similar to their French counterparts, declining to intercept boats once they enter the water.

Officers were observed patrolling beaches and deploying a spotter plane overhead, yet the dinghies were permitted to depart.

As the vessels drifted into the North Sea, a Belgian law enforcement craft shadowed them.

In one instance, emergency services received reports of 200 migrants aboard four boats off the coast.

Local authorities confirmed the boats were then escorted from Belgian waters into French territory.

From there, French vessels reportedly guide them to the midway point in the Channel, where UK Border Force assumes responsibility.

This arrangement has established what observers describe as an extraordinary new pattern in the small boats crisis.

The evidence suggests people-smuggling networks are growing rather than being dismantled, despite government pledges to destroy them, with statistics indicating crossing numbers have reached record levels this calendar year.

Belgian coastal communities remain largely unaffected by the crisis, with towns still well-maintained and streets clear of the debris associated with migrant encampments.

This contrasts sharply with conditions across the border in Dunkirk and Calais, where sprawling camps have blighted the landscape, with roads littered with discarded nappies, food packaging and plastic bottles.

The network of NGOs and charities that support asylum seekers in Calais has not yet established operations in Flanders.

Belgian officers have however warned of dangers in the area, confirming they have received reports of automatic weapons similar to those heard in Dunkirk.

A Home Office spokesman told GB News: "This Government is bearing down on small boat crossings.

"We have stopped over 42,000 illegal migrants attempting to cross the channel since the election.

"We have removed or deported almost 60,000 people who were here illegally.

"But we are going further to remove the incentives that draw illegal migrants to this country and increase removals and deportations of those with no right to be here."