New passage to Britain as Iranian migrants use boats to cross Channel

French riot police watch Iranian Kurdish migrants, during the dismantling of a camp in Calais, France, January 10, 2019. Picture taken January 10, 2019. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol

CALAIS, France (Reuters) - Mohamed's first attempt to reach Britain's southern shores in December foundered because the outboard engine was not powerful enough to propel the boat carrying him and half a dozen other Iranian migrants through the choppy English Channel.

Last year saw a sharp increase in the number of migrants trying to cross the narrow waterway separating mainland Europe and Britain by boat.