A French police officer was seen single-handedly foiling an attempt by a group of people to cross the English Channel this morning in a dinghy by stabbing the inflated boat with a knife, as defiant asylum seekers say 'we're not afraid to die'.
Video footage shows how a group of refugees and migrants aboard the boat were attempting to follow a short stream leading to the sea just metres away, watched by a group of French police.
After facing criticism for standing around and even taking photographs of would-be migrants in previous weeks, police challenged the group and the boat came to a halt.
One officer was then seen holding a sharp implement, believed to be a knife, and stabbing the sides of the boat to make it unusable. It comes after 1,634 people made the crossing in the last week.
Images later showed the crumpled boat completely deflated with life jackets scattered around, as those on the boat left the scene and returned to a camp where they had been staying.
