RNLI 'taxi service' boats packed with mega dinghy migrants rejected by two English ports

Upon their arrival, hundreds of furious locals poured onto the streets in protest, blocking traffic while police carrying riot shields formed a blockade.

Prior to the unrest, both the Southampton Vessel Traffic Service and the King’s Harbour Master Portsmouth had stopped the RNLI entering their ports, an open marine VHF radio broadcast has revealed.

The harbourmasters threatened the charity with legal action if they approached either Southampton or Portsmouth to bring the illegal migrants into Britain, confirming the "asylum seekers" did not face any risk to life.

After being turned away, the lifeboats brought the migrants to Eastney, where masked demonstrators blocked the road leading away from the RNLI Portsmouth Lifeboat Station.

The dinghy in which the migrants were picked up from is thought to have made one of the longest journeys of any small boat.

It travelled from the beaches of Normandy - with landings as far west as Hampshire typically very rare.

Downing Street branded the protesters "intimidating and thuggish", adding: "We always respect the right to peaceful protest but not when it crosses a line."

On Sunday, two lifeboats operated by the charity picked up 140 migrants from a single migrant vessel

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PICTURED: Piles of lifejackets left by illegal migrants in Eastney after being dumped on the beaches of Hampshire

PA

The Home Office confirmed that "all of those brought ashore have left the landing site and are being transported for processing in the usual way.”

The RNLI said it was "disappointed" to have been barred from entering the ports.

A spokesman for the charity said: “We are working with the relevant parties to understand the decision to deny access, and we are disappointed with the nature of the communication with our crews, who voluntarily give their time to save the lives of others at sea."

The charity, which helps those in danger at sea, has come under intense scrutiny for its role in bringing small boat migrants into Britain.

Suella Braverman, whose seat borders Portsmouth, has likened its crews to a "taxi service" for people attempting to break into Britain illegally.

The Reform MP fumed: “Hampshire is now at the heart of the invasion. It’s obvious the Government has lost complete control of our borders.

“There is a cruel irony that the Normandy beaches are being used to infiltrate our country at the home of the Royal Navy. This is a national security emergency.

“Every port must use this precedent and refuse the RNLI taxi service entry. Every single boat must be turned back to France.”

The RNLI has insisted that “all small boats crossing the Channel are classed as being in distress”, adding that its “one purpose is to save lives at sea”.

While former volunteer David Wimble, now a Reform councillor, condemned the attacks on crew members.

"To stop this problem you need to stop the boats," he told GB News. "The RNLI is completely neutral and it's there purely to save lives."

The charity's chief executive, Peter Sparkes, has claimed that volunteers have received “wholly unacceptable" abuse over their work.

He said on Tuesday: “Recent events have generated deliberate misinformation and a misunderstanding about the RNLI - our purpose, our tasking and particularly our lifesaving work in the Channel.

“Sadly, as a result, some of our volunteers and staff have been the subject of online and, in the worst cases, physical abuse.”

The Associated British Ports confirmed that RNLI crews had been blocked from entering the two ports over the weekend.

A spokesman explained: “We had to decline the inquiry, as the port did not have suitable reception facilities available.

“If there had been a safety of life at sea issue where Southampton was the closest port or if we had received a formal direction from the authorities, then we would have played a role. Neither was the case in this situation.”