Clashes broke out between French riot police and migrants in the early hours of Friday morning in the northern coastal town of Gravelines.
Pictures and footage captured by PA news agency show a group of men throwing rocks in the direction of officers, while small fires are alight in a road near a park. Two of the men were seen wearing life jackets during the incident.
The scene between the men - two seen by PA wearing life jackets - and the Gendarmerie and Police Nationale officers, who were equipped with shields, helmets and tear gas, lasted for about 20 minutes at around 5.30am.
It came after migrants were filmed running into the water and boarding a dinghy at Gravelines beach on Thursday morning.
More than 22,500 people have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel so far in 2025, marking a new high for this point in the year.
Last week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed a one in, one out migrant returns deal. The agreement aims to crack down on the crossings and disrupt the people smuggling gangs who operate them.
Sir Keir also met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday, where he praised Berlin's plans to strengthen laws to disrupt small boat crossings by the end of the year.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
