Britain said on Tuesday it wanted greater flexibility to return illegal immigrants back to France after a surge in the number of people embarking on the perilous journey across the English Channel in the hope of a better life.

Hundreds of people, including some children, have been caught crossing to southern England from makeshift camps in northern France since Thursday – many navigating one of the world’s busiest shipping routes in overloaded rubber dinghies.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he wants to stop the illegal crossings and has dispatched Immigration Minister Chris Philp to Paris for talks with the French government.