These new measures will be in addition to a joint action plan announced on December 31 by the French and British government, according to a statement from the French interior ministry.
An increase in crossings by asylum-seekers, mostly Iranians, has caused alarm in Britain and put the Conservative government there under pressure to provide a response. "This plan should enable us to end these crossings," the French statement said, adding that they were "not only illegal but also extremely dangerous.