Chinese-made "super dinghies" are carrying more than 100 migrants at a time across the Channel and are sold online for as little as £1,000.

The dinghy was used over the weekend, which saw 125 people cross the Channel in a single vessel, the highest number of migrants in one boat ever recorded.

Yesterday, around 100 migrants boarded the "super dinghy", just hours after Sir Keir Starmer pledged to end the "vile trade" of people trafficking for good.

Chairman of Migration Watch UK, Alp Mehmet, said people smugglers will continue to increase the size of their boats while the Government watches on.

He said: "As long as the smugglers know that when people arrive here they can stay for good, they will add to the size of their boats.

"They know there's lots of money in it, and bigger boats mean more money."

The duo of super dinghies seen so far are what officials fear may be a new armada of larger people-smuggling vessels.

The Government has tried to work with EU law enforcement agencies to stop the import of small boats and cheap inflatables, requesting that China stop exporting outboard engines.

Over 100 migrants are crossing the Channel at a time on just one 'super dinghy'

The Government also placed sanctions on a Chinese firm, Weihai Yamar Outdoors Product Co, which was advertising "refugee boats" for sale on its website.

However, dinghies of the kind used by traffickers are still available for sale for as little as £1,000 on Alibaba, the Chinese alternative to Amazon.

The dinghies were previously advertised as "migrant" boats, with one advert showing a dinghy pulled up on a beach.

Critics have argued that there is little to stop Chinese vendors from simply re-advertising under different names to avoid scrutiny from British officials.

Most of the Chinese boat makers ship their dinghies to Turkey and are then taken into the EU via Bulgaria and tend to be warehoused in Germany.

The crackdown on the industry has proved incredibly difficult for the Government.

The National Crime Agency said it was in "conversations" with Chinese counterparts to restrict the supply of outboard engines, pointing out to Beijing that most of the hundreds of people trafficking boats and engines it has seized in operations are made in China.

Relations between the UK and China do appear to be relatively cold, though with no real sign of improvement.

Nearly 1,300 people arrived in small boats last weekend

Reacting to the dinghy that took 125 migrants across the Channel over the weekend, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “These small boat crossings are utterly unacceptable and the vile people-smugglers behind them are wreaking havoc on our borders.

"Thanks to our deal with France, people crossing in small boats can be detained and the first removals have now begun.

"Protecting the UK border is my priority as Home Secretary, and I will explore all options to restore order to our immigration system."