Two asylum seekers caught on camera as they took part in a mob attack on French police trying to stop them fleeing across the Channel in a small boat have been jailed.

Shocking footage, played at Canterbury Crown Court and released by the Home Office, shows the UK-funded gendarmes being aggressively confronted and pelted with rocks, driftwood and other makeshift weapons on a beach near Calais on June 16.

The officers, some of who suffered injuries, were unable to prevent the vessel from launching.

But it was later intercepted in UK waters and two of those onboard and involved in the violent attack - Salih Taib Abdullah, 33, and 25-year-old Ahmed Omar Saleh Khater - have now been jailed for 14 months and 12 months respectively.

They both admitted an offence of attempting to arrive in the UK without valid entry clearance.

The gendarmes had been on patrol in Oye Plage near the French port when they came across a group of 51 migrants in the process of launching a small boat.

Body-worn cameras filmed the violence erupting and captured the two defendants confronting French officers before the migrants' boat eventually left the beach.

Consultation between the French and UK authorities however led to Iraqi national Abdullah and Khater, from Sudan, being identified and then arrested by officers from the Home Office’s Criminal and Financial Investigations (CFI) unit as they reached Dover.

Speaking after their sentencing hearings, Charlie Eastaugh, director of international operations for the small boats operational command at the Home Office, said: “We will not tolerate violence against our French partners, particularly by those attempting dangerous and illegal small boat launches which threaten the border security of the UK.

“Tension on French beaches is increasing due to the successful efforts of law enforcement in frustrating this organised criminal enterprise.

"Incidents like this highlight the complex and brave work of our French colleagues in the face of challenging conditions.

“We will continue to work hand-in-hand with them to tackle the criminal gangs behind these deadly crossings, to protect our borders and save lives.”