THIS is the shocking moment boat migrants attacked French cops as they tried to set sail for Britain.

The lifejacket-wearing group can be seen appearing to hurl objects at officers as move in on their inflatable dinghy in Northern .

Aerial view of a group of people, some wearing orange life jackets, gathered on a grassy hillside.French police surveillance of a large group of migrants attempting a small boat launch Credit: Home Office The open trunk of a white car filled with several orange rectangular packages, with some white netting visible in the foreground.Life jackets and other small boat equipment found through a vehicle stop Credit: Border Security Command/PA Wire

respond with Pava spray before slashing the boat with a knife to stop it launching across the Channel.

Footage of the incident was released by the Home Office and shows a group of migrants running down a beach with a dinghy, headed for the sea.

A French police vehicle can be seen racing to stop them from launching the craft, pulling up in front of the group of migrants.

pile out of their cars and rush to stop the launch from going ahead – as the migrants fight back in shocking scenes.

NINTCHDBPICT001102327957A brawl breaks out as the cops try to stop the migrants from launching Credit: Home Office NINTCHDBPICT001102327956An officer is seen in the footage slashing the dinghy Credit: Home Office

An officer can be seen approaching the dinghy and slashing it twice to deflate it.

The footage was released as new figures were published on efforts to stop migrants making the journey to Britain.

prevented 185 “small boat crossing events” between April 27 and August 2, according to data supplied by French authorities.

That included stopping launches, seizing boats and engines and arresting suspected people smugglers.

Officials claim the action prevented more than 4,300 migrants from attempting to reach British shores over the three months.

But thousands are still making it across the Channel.

NINTCHDBPICT001102327955Cops were reportedly attacked by the migrants Credit: Home Office NINTCHDBPICT001102327952The Home Office released the shocking footage alongside the latest migrant figures Credit: Home Office

Some 15,897 migrants have reached Britain by small boat so far this year – although that is down 43 per cent on the same point last year.

Shadow Home Secretary branded the fresh figures a “joke.”

He added that: “Channel crossings preventions are down by half over the past year and, as we exposed earlier this month, French police are under instruction not to intervene when immigrants are attempting to cross.

“The only way we can stop the crossings is by having a proper deterrent. If people know they can stay in the UK, get put up in a hotel and claim benefits then they will keep risking these dangerous journeys.”

Smuggling gangs also appear have switched tactics by cramming increasing numbers of migrants into individual dinghies.

Earlier this month, a record 230 people made the journey in a single boat.

French authorities also revealed just 40 illegal migrants have been deported since a separate detention trial began on May 1.

Some 119 migrants have been detained under the scheme, with 76 still being held and 32 released.