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Immigration chiefs abandoned attempts to bring Channel migrants into Gosport after hundreds of protesters gathered in the naval town.

Demonstrators were met by riot police in Gosport, Hampshire, after a dinghy was intercepted by two RNLI vessels after some 33 hours at sea.

It left a beach close to the village of Vierville-sur-Mer, west of Bayeux, in Normandy and refused help as they were “determined to take all risks to reach the United Kingdom”, the French coastguard said.

And immigration chiefs faced fresh fury after plotting to bring migrants into Gosport, Hants, following chaotic scenes in Portsmouth earlier this month. They eventually changed tact, and decided to take the migrants to Dover, Kent.

Hampshire Police sensationally confirmed, despite huge resources being deployed: “As a precaution, we deployed officers to Gosport and Portsmouth this afternoon to support our partners in the event of any emergency at sea, to facilitate any peaceful protest and ensure the safety of the public.

“We have been in contact with our partners including the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Border Security Command throughout the day.

“The boat and those on board are no longer in our force area.”

And Tory MP Caroline Dinenage said: “I have just had confirmation that Border Force has intercepted the small boat that was reported as crossing the Channel earlier today and is now taking those on board to Dover by water.

“This is a good result. All day I have been making the case to the Home Office that this boat should not disembark in Gosport.

“When I met the Borders Minister last week, I insisted that the Home Office should ensure that any boats intercepted in the Channel are taken directly to Dover by water, rather than brought into Portsmouth Harbour. I repeated that request in writing to the Home Secretary.

“It was therefore incredibly disappointing to discover through whispers and rumours that the Government was once again considering bringing a boat into Portsmouth Harbour. The Home Secretary has still not replied to my letter.

“I am pleased that Border Force are now taking today’s boat to Dover by water, as we asked. This must now set a clear precedent. If further boats are intercepted in our part of the Channel, they should be taken straight to Dover by water rather than causing unnecessary disruption to communities around Portsmouth Harbour.”

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “This latest fiasco shows that the French are not even trying to stop the illegal immigrants’ boats in French waters – instead they are escorting them here.

“Our border security has descended into chaos with migrants crossing at will over ever larger distances and in ever larger boats.

“The Labour’s government’s claim to smash the gangs is laughable and their deal with the French is clearly not working.

“The Conservatives have a plan to end all accommodation and benefits for illegal immigrants and instead deport them on arrival. Then these farcical crossings would soon stop.”

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood agreed to give Paris £500 million for an increase in police patrols, a new vessel to intercept migrant taxi boats, two helicopters, drones and a camera surveillance system.

And the Home Office will give the French another £160m to test new tactics to stop Channel migrant crossings. One of the proposals being tested is paying France to deport migrants on their coastline.

Four French lifeboats and the tugboat Abeille Liberté (Liberty Bee), along with a French Navy search-and-rescue helicopter, were scrambled when the 12m (40ft) migrant dinghy left Port-en-Bessin, north of Bayeux, just before 10am on Monday. And it comes after one of the longest small boat journeys on record.

It spent a staggering 33 hours at sea before being intercepted south of Portsmouth.

And immigration officials initially decided to take the dozens of Channel arrivals into Gosport, rather than travelling along the coast to Dover.

But they abandoned that plan, amid pleas from local leaders and rising fury from protesters. And they eventually concluded they would take the migrants to Dover.

Reform’s Cllr George Madgwick, the leader of Hampshire County Council, said: “Someone at the Home Office for some bizarre reason chose Gosport as the place to allow an illegal boat to dock.

“After the utter logistical failure in Portsmouth they’ve determined Gosport, with one road on and off, and a proud naval area with huge levels of social housing – is the smart place to land them.

“Gosport is an area where many will come out of their their houses and many will be very unhappy. I pray this is peaceful tonight but I have to really wonder why this decision was made.

“They honestly couldn’t have picked a worse place if they wished for the arrival to run smoothly and peacefully.

“Why didn’t they pick a quaint fishing village in a more liberal area where the residents won’t come out in force? I hope it isn’t.

“But this could be a disaster. It’s almost like they want it to be.”

The French coastguard said the migrants refused help as they were “determined to take all risks to reach the United Kingdom”.

A statement from the Prefecture maritime de la Manche et de la mer du Nord said: “Between September 21 0900 (French time) and late afternoon on September 22, MRCC Jobourg co-ordinated the monitoring of a small boat carrying approximately 60 people attempting to cross the English Channel towards the United Kingdom.

“The surveillance of this vessel, ill-suited for such a crossing and whose occupants were weakened after more than 33 hours at sea in precarious conditions, is fully part of the Search and Rescue (SAR) mission.

“The deployment of French assets specifically responds to the duty to render assistance stipulated by international and maritime law.

“This operation is also carried out within the known and delicate context of the migrants’ refusal of assistance, as they are determined to take all risks to reach the United Kingdom.

“The Maritime Prefecture of the English Channel and the North Sea reminds all seafarers and shipmasters of the duty to render assistance under international law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), and the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR).

“Failure to comply with these obligations, or any interference with ongoing rescue operations, may be subject to legal proceedings.”