The French mother who said ‘non’ to migrants: Woman living on the frontline of Europe’s asylum crisis releases footage of young men in life jackets rushing past her property to catch dinghies going to Britain
A Frenchwoman living near Neufchâtel-Hardelot, south of Boulogne-sur-Mer, has spoken out about the fear caused by migrants gathering near her family home before attempting Channel crossings to Britain, releasing CCTV footage showing groups in life jackets rushing across her land towards departure points. Héloïse Longuet, 44, said her 19th-century farmhouse, originally a holiday home under renovation, has become surrounded by young men living in illegal squats and camps in nearby woods, drawn by smugglers charging around £1,000 per place on overcrowded dinghies. Her account highlights how communities along France's northern coast are increasingly bearing the brunt of the small-boats crisis as crossing routes shift, adding a French perspective to a debate more often framed around Britain's response.
Longuet said she installed CCTV cameras with warning signs after at least three incursions onto her land, and now feels unsafe raising her two young daughters there, with local police protection minimal. Smugglers have shifted departure points from Calais and Dunkirk to the quieter, harder-to-patrol Hardelot beach, where fatalities have occurred, including a man in his 30s killed and six others injured, among them a toddler, when a boat capsized last month (August 2026), and two women who died in May after being crushed aboard a boat carrying around 80 people. Despite her sympathy for migrants themselves, including Afghans who told her fellow travellers had died en route to France, Longuet blames people-smugglers for profiting from the danger, while the local mayor estimated as many as 600 migrants may be in the area.
In short
- French farmhouse owner films migrants rushing to Channel crossing points
- Smugglers charge roughly £1,000 a head for dinghy crossings to Britain
- Recent Hardelot beach crossings have caused several migrant deaths
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Residents such as Longuet have a strong case that repeated incursions, nearby camps and limited police protection can leave families feeling unsafe on their own property. They may argue that authorities should act more firmly against illegal crossings and smuggling networks, both to protect coastal communities and to prevent people from being put on overcrowded, dangerous boats.
The case against
Migrants making these crossings may be fleeing danger or seeking safety, while smugglers exploit their circumstances; their presence near homes does not by itself establish that they pose a threat. A strong response should therefore distinguish people seeking asylum from those organising crossings, protect residents without treating migrants collectively as dangerous, and address the conditions that leave people relying on smugglers.
Explained simply
France’s northern coast is one of the main departure areas for people trying to cross the Channel to Britain in small boats. Many travel in groups from makeshift camps, while people-smugglers arrange places on overcrowded dinghies for a fee.
Héloïse Longuet lives near Neufchâtel-Hardelot, where departure points have shifted as routes change. She says people have crossed her property on their way to the coast, prompting her to install cameras and raising concerns about safety for her family.
The crossings can be dangerous, and people have died when boats capsized or became overcrowded. The situation affects both migrants seeking to reach Britain and coastal communities in France, while smugglers profit from organising the journeys.