French government wants £93m from British taxpayers for beach patrols, sources said

According to reports, the French government wants £93m from the British taxpayer for increased beach patrols.

Le Figaro says the authorities want the money for next year.

It’s approximately £40m higher than the £54m approved by Priti Patel last fall.

Most of the funding has been spent on CCTV systems and night-vision goggles.

The Daily Mail claimed this week that gendarmes are on vacation, reducing patrols.

Last night, the Home Office refused to comment.

Dramatic photographs from northern France yesterday showed cops stopping migrants pushing a black inflatable boat to the waterline.

Channel 4 News recorded police arriving in a beach buggy, pepper spraying migrants and slashing the boat.

Yesterday, Channel arrivals reached 23,000 since January, making this month the busiest on record.

More than 400 arrivals yesterday boosted this month’s total above 7,000.