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A badly damaged migrant boat was allowed to continue crossing the Channel despite four asylum seekers dying as they tried to climb on. Two men and two women were “swept out to sea by the current” off Équihen beach, close to Boulogne-sur-Mer, on Thursday morning.

But the boat, which was lying dangerously low in the water and powered by a “failing” engine, continued its journey across the Channel with about 30 people on board. And there are fears the death toll could rise further as local media reports in France claimed witnesses saw bodies floating in the water. The tragedy has prompted renewed calls for the French to stop dinghies leaving the beaches – as Paris rejected proposals for British Border Force vessels to patrol their waters.

Medecins Sans Frontiers, which has repeatedly criticised attempts to secure Britain’s borders, warned that at least 130 people have died since the crisis began in 2018.

François-Xavier Lauch, the Pas de Calais prefect, said: “Four people tried to board a water taxi and the currents, which can be very dangerous here, swept them away.”

Another migrant made it back to the beach suffering from hypothermia, said Mr Lauch.

But a source in the prosecutor’s office in Boulogne-sur-Mer revealed the boat continued towards UK waters.

They said: “It continued on its way with approximately 30 people on board.

“The police did not intervene to prevent its departure.”

An Afghan and Sudanese national perished during a chaotic beach pick-up last week, before the boat carried on to the UK.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “Crossing the Channel on often faulty and defective dinghies is immensely dangerous and puts lives at risk.

“Labour’s weak approach, which allows these crossings to continue, is causing lives to be lost, and their unwillingness to take decisive action on illegal immigration is fuelling this crisis.

“Nearly 70,000 illegal immigrants have crossed the Channel since Keir Starmer came to office – he doesn’t have the backbone to do what is necessary.

“Stopping the crossings requires more than disruption on the beaches. It requires the swift removal of those who enter illegally, so the incentive to make these dangerous journeys disappears.

“Ending illegal immigration requires real deterrence, and only the Conservative Party has a comprehensive plan to leave the ECHR and rapidly remove every illegal arrival within a week.”

On Wednesday, the UK Border Security Command (BSC) leased four new “rescue” catamarans to intercept and pick up migrants in anticipation of a surge in crossings over the summer.

BSC Enterprise, BSC Contender, BSC Courageous and BSC Intrepid are said to be more modern and have bigger capacities.

But France rejected pleas from Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to allow British boats to intercept migrants at sea and return them to France.

The British would have intercepted small boats before they reached UK waters, picked up the migrants on board, and taken them back to northern France.

But a government source in Paris said: “The idea was firmly rejected because British government officials are not meant to operate in French territorial waters.”

British taxpayers have funded 100 new police vehicles currently used to look for migrants and smugglers.

This amounts to 25% of the total number of police vehicles France deploys in the north of the country, around Calais and Dunkirk.

Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch, slammed the huge handouts to the French government, insisting only rapid detention and removal programmes will “stem the tide”.

Britain has given France £700million to bolster police patrols, increase surveillance and purchase new military-grade drones to stop Channel migrant crossings.

But French officers are only intercepting a third of attempts, down from 50% when the £475million deal between Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron was struck.

Mr Mehmet said: “In the three years since Rishi Sunak signed the deal, which cost us nearly £500million, there have been over 100,000 crossings, costing the British taxpayer a further £11billion.

“That doesn’t even include the £100million we paid out just to pilot the ‘one in, one out’ farce.

“On this evidence, we are better off without another costly and ineffective deal. We should instead detain illegal arrivals and remove them quickly. Only this will stem the tide.”

Last month, the UK and France failed to agree on a new beach patrol deal in a bid to cut the number of attempted crossings.

Ms Mahmood signed a £2million-a-week extension to the current arrangement as the two governments thrash out a longer-term agreement.

The UK Government said it was “deeply saddened” by the deaths.

A spokesman said: “Every death in the Channel is a tragedy and a stark reminder of the dangers posed by criminal gangs exploiting vulnerable people for profit.

“We will continue working relentlessly with the French and our partners overseas to prevent these perilous journeys.”