British money sent to France to stop illegal migrant crossings was spent on microwaves, phone chargers and vacuum cleaners, it has emerged.

Some of the funding was also spent on guarding the French border with Italy, which is about 550 miles away from the English Channel.

France has failed to stop more than half of all migrants trying to make the illegal Channel crossing since 2018, according to a freedom of information request by the Politico website.

As prime minister, Theresa May negotiated a deal with president Emmanuel Macron to pay the French government an extra £44.5million for border security in the 2018 Sandhurst Treaty.

The UK plans to send France another £471.6 million to “stop the boats” between now and 2026. This year, British funding made up 10 per cent of France’s border protection budget.

A large portion of the Sandhurst money was spent on helicopters, e-scooters, motorbikes and cars along with surveillance equipment such as binoculars, dash cams and drones.

Spending on everyday appliances

But cash was also spent on appliances for French police such as microwaves, vacuum cleaners for cars and adapters for charging smartphones in vehicles.

A total of £130,383 was spent on establishing a mounted brigade in the Baie de Somme - between Calais and Dieppe -  which included the purchase of riding boots, helmets and stabling for the horses. 

British cash was also used to buy vehicles, printers and drones for a division of police guarding the Franco-Italian border.

About half of the Sandhurst fund, £17.4 million, was spent this year.

Focus on gangs

The French interior ministry told Politico its focus was on dismantling smuggling networks and claimed 27 gangs were broken up in 2022 and 28 so far this year.

An official said it made sense to fund the Franco-Italian border as some migrants arrive in Calais from Italy.

A Home Office spokesman declined to comment on the specific areas of spending, Politico reported.

However, he added: “The unacceptable number of people risking their lives by making these dangerous crossings is placing an unprecedented strain on our asylum system.

“Our priority is to stop the boats, and thanks to the work of the Small Boats Operational Command alongside our French partners, crossings are down by more than 20 per cent compared to the same point last year.”

French police prevented 3,400 boats, carrying about 81,000 people, from reaching the UK between January 2018 and August this year.

But 3,500 boats, carrying 111,000 migrants made the journey successfully. The number may be higher as not all the crossings are detected.