‘We thank your government for our full pockets’ – Calais smugglers speak

As the UK pours millions into security measures, migrants say the gangs who control the Channel just get more powerful

Sorry, my battery's low because I drained it watching YouTube tutorials on how to assemble dinghies," Abuzar says. He is speaking on a video call from the abandoned shed in Calais he calls home. I want to join my brother for asylum in the UK, but I have to work for smugglers because I don't have enough money to pay for the crossing.

They hide boat parts on the beaches for me to assemble at night, but I'm so scared- - if I mess it up, children could drown on the boat."