THE Home Office is providing an additional £100 million to support the pilot of its “one in, one out” returns agreement with France and other efforts to crack down on small boat crossings.

The funding will pay for up to 300 extra National Crime Agency officers, new technology, and equipment to strengthen intelligence-gathering on smuggling gangs. 

It will also support more overtime for immigration enforcement teams and fund interventions in transit countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, the department said.

Labour says it is targeting smuggling gangs as part of its strategy to reduce small boat arrivals, which have already topped 25,000 this year, a record for this stage.

The “one in, one out” deal, agreed last month, will see Britain return migrants to France in exchange for asylum-seekers with links to Britain.

A new offence under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will mean anyone advertising small boat crossings or fake passports online could face up to five years in prison.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the plans “will help us drive forward our plan for change commitments to protect the UK’s border security and restore order to our immigration system.”