Retailer halts kayak sales in northern France to deter migrant crossings

FILE PHOTO: Police officers walk past a damaged dinghy used by migrants as they patrol along the Slack dunes in Wimereux, France, September 16, 2021. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo

PARIS (Reuters) - French sporting goods retailer Decathlon has stopped selling kayaks and other small boats in four of its northern stores close to the Channel coast to prevent migrants buying them for an attempt to reach Britain.

The move comes after a surge this month in the number of migrants making the perilous sea journey from France to Britain across some of the world's busiest shipping lanes.