MPs on the committee also called in Wednesday’s report for security to be stepped up at smaller ports around Britain.
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The Home Affairs Select Committee said there were only three boats now available, meaning security could be compromised.
A “worryingly low” total of just three Border Force patrol boats are available to protect more than 7,000 miles of United Kingdom coastline, they warned.
However, the committee called for Royal Navy ships to be called into action to fill any gaps.
Although there are five Border Force boats, one is on duty in the Mediterranean tackling people smugglers and the other is now under maintenance. “Royal Navy vessels must be used in our sea war against the traffickers”, Vaz said.
Crime agencies in Britain have warned that people smugglers are targeting smaller ports to bring illegal immigrants into Britain away from the bigger high-security ports. Italy has 600 boats patrolling just 4,700 miles of coastline, while Greece has 240 vessels securing its 8,000-mile sea border and Spain has 147 responsible for 3,000 miles.
This summer incidents have included 18 Albanian migrants who had to be rescued when their dinghy started sinking off the coast of Dymchurch in Kent, 17 Albanians who were found in a boat in the harbour in Chichester, West Sussex, and three Iranians were found drifting in an inflatable boat off Dover.
The government announced in May that it was buying eight new patrol boats to supplement the five-strong Border Force fleet. While the first batch were to be in place within months, full deployment is not expected until the end of next year.
The Border Force has been tasked with “implementing strengthened coastal security measures”, but it is “experiencing problems in gaining access to a sufficient number of boats, ” the committee said.
Its report added: “Only four of the new vessels are now deployed and the remaining four will not be available for more than a year”.
The number of vessels available to patrol Britain’s coast is “worryingly low”, claims a new Home Affairs Select Committee report.
“At the same time, we continue to work tirelessly to maintain the security of our border, intercepting attempts to enter the United Kingdom illegally and targeting the callous gangs that profit from people smuggling”.
The government says additional military and law enforcement vessels are available if needed.
The report, titled Migration Crisis, went on to slam the European Union for its “too little, too late” response to the wave of refugees which have arrived on Europe’s shores.
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The committee said the recent attacks in France demonstrated that terrorists are exploiting the refugee crisis by using the human tragedy as a cloak to re-enter Europe.
