Héloïse Longuet, a mother of two, has described how migrants have made her feel unsafe at her 19th-century family farmhouse located on the English Channel coast near Neufchâtel-Hardelot, south of Boulogne-sur-Mer. She released CCTV footage showing groups of young men, many wearing life jackets, rushing past her property en route to catch dinghies bound for Britain.

Ms. Longuet stated that her holiday home, which the family was renovating, became surrounded by men attempting to reach the beach. These individuals often congregate outside her property, checking phones for coordinates provided by smugglers before heading towards the shore. While her land does not offer direct beach access, she reported at least three instances of incursions.

She installed CCTV cameras with warning signs, but makeshift camps began appearing in the surrounding woods. The presence of migrants has made the area feel unsettling, particularly as she has two young daughters and receives minimal police protection. The situation has drawn comparisons to issues faced by residents in Britain where asylum seekers are housed.

"It is very frightening," Ms. Longuet said. "We see them in the forest, living in very unsanitary conditions. They leave all their rubbish behind."

Hardelot beach, where Ms. Longuet used to walk her dog, has increasingly been used by smugglers as a departure point, shifting from traditional locations like Calais and Dunkirk to this more isolated stretch of coastline. The wide shoreline facilitates the boarding of men, women, and children onto inflatable dinghies, with migrants often hiding in the sand dunes beforehand.

Recent incidents near Hardelot beach include the death of a man in his 30s after a small boat capsized, resulting in six other injuries, including a toddler. In May, two women died from cardiac arrest after being suffocated on a boat carrying over 80 people that had set off from the same beach.

Fights between migrants and law enforcement, including gendarmes and riot police who have used tear gas, occur regularly. The situation escalated during summer heatwaves with several fires breaking out around Hardelot.

Ms. Longuet expressed frustration with the lack of action, stating, "The situation is appalling, and the dangers are immense, but very little is done about it." She clarified that she does not hold Right-wing views but desires an improvement for both residents and migrants.

While she has previously shown sympathy for migrants, particularly after meeting Afghans who described perilous journeys, Ms. Longuet condemned the smugglers exploiting them. "Some Afghans were looking for a home after settling in France, and they told me that there had been up to a dozen of them when they set off from their home country. By the time they got to France, only two or three were left, with the others dying on the road. This shows how perilous the situation is," she recounted.

She considers the problem global, originating in the migrants' home countries, with human smugglers posing the most significant issue within France, driven by profit. Ms. Longuet, who now works in public relations, resides in another part of northern France with her family and visits Hardelot beach less frequently.

Paulette Juilien-Peuvion, the mayor of Neufchâtel-Hardelot, noted that as many as 600 migrants might congregate in the town at any given time. She acknowledged residents' concerns about feeling unsafe, especially in wooded areas at night, while also recognizing the tragic circumstances that lead people to leave their homes.

Hardelot beach is part of a coastline that includes Le Touquet, where French President Emmanuel Macron owns a holiday home. Despite the president's presence in the area, gangs of migrants are frequently seen congregating in various public spaces.

French authorities maintain that policing has improved the migrant situation in the area. According to an Interior Ministry source in Paris, a new Anglo-French agreement signed in April, involving approximately £660 million of UK taxpayer money, has led to the prevention of 185 small boat crossings in the four months since its inception. Police report an increase in arrests of smugglers and seizures of equipment, alongside the deployment of a dedicated 50-member riot squad.

Data indicates that 15,897 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year, representing a 43% decrease compared to the same period last year and an 18% drop from 2024. This comes despite a record 230 individuals making the journey from France to England in a single boat last month.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated, "Our new UK-France deal is already having a real impact, stopping crossings before they happen and disrupting the criminal gangs behind them." She emphasized the ongoing efforts to dismantle smuggling operations and disrupt their business model, noting that over 47,000 small boat crossing attempts have been stopped since the election through joint work with France.