Three individuals have died attempting to cross the English Channel on a "taxi-boat" for migrants, near the French port of Dunkirk. The local administration overseeing the Channel and North Sea confirmed the fatalities in a statement released on Thursday.Up to 700 migrants are believed to have crossed the Channel in small boats yesterday as good weather conditions led to more attempts. French police were filmed yesterday on Hardelot beach, south of Boulogne, watching on as dozens of people boarded a dinghy destined for the UK. French officers are not allowed to intervene when migrants are in the water and boarding the boats due to the risk of drowning. The size of the rubber dinghies has increased significantly as smugglers adapt to increased police activity on French beaches. Larger boats now “taxi” around the coast of France and wait to pick up people slightly offshore, rather than launching from the sand. A record 128 migrants arrived in one dinghy this month, up from the previous record of 125 in September last year. This is a breaking news story, more to follow...