HUNDREDS of small boats used by migrants to cross the Channel will be refurbished and handed to youth groups across the nation.
The dinghies used by people smugglers to make the perilous journey that are being stored in warehouses along the south coast will be put to good use.
Sailing clubs in red wall areas are likely to get the pick of the vessels under plans being drawn up by Priti Patel.
Her new Nationality and Borders Bill gives border force the power to seize the boats – and hand them to charitable organisations.
A source said: “In some ways we hope this will make the most of a bad situation, so that these boats can do some good.
“They will all obviously be safety tested and checked to make sure they are sea worthy, but there are groups up and down the country who could benefit from having this sort of equipment.”
The Home Secretary’s new Nationality and Borders Bill, which is going through Parliament, gives Border Force the power to remove the boats from smugglers for “donation of the ship or other property to a charity or other not-for-profit body.”
