Numerous people-trafficking boats are causing hazards to seafarers off the coast of Lowestoft after being abandoned.
While those on-board have been dealt with by various government departments, many boats are being left at sea, floating towards offshore windfarms, fishing areas and shipping lanes.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said removal of boats has been "far more effective" than in previous years, despite the increase of vessels, many of which are rigid inflatable boats (RIBs).
One company described their discovery as a "fairly regular occurrence at certain times of the year," adding any boats they find are reported to the authorities.
Waveney MP Peter Aldous said: "It is a very serious concern that these RIBs are being found floating around so regularly.
"The people onboard have been removed but the boats are marked by the government and left behind.
"The water is increasingly busy and these boats pose a risk to other vessels going to ports along the coast, especially if they collide with them or get caught in their propellers which could cause a major incident.
"There is also the environmental risk because of the oil or petrol onboard these boats, which could pollute the water.
"It is also a concern that these are poorly, shoddily-built boats designed for a single passage, but if they are picked up by traffickers they could be used again with devastating consequences."
Mr Aldous said a number of boats had been recovered by local workers at expense to themselves or their companies.
He said: "A number of the people and organisations discovering the boats have towed them ashore and arranged their disposal in a suitable way.
"Currently, the role that the state should be doing in removing these boats is being done by private operators, but it is not their responsibility.
"They feel a duty and obligation to help, but in doing so they incur a lot of time and expense when they could be doing their own work.
"A lot of these companies have a small window for their activities and if they are spending time doing this, they are missing their opportunities - and doing so at a time when the cost of fuel is so high."
A spokesperson for the MoD said under military primacy there is a multi-agency approach to both removing empty small boats from the Channel and disposing of their contents, including fuel and engines, responsibly, while recovered boats are kept in storage where they may be used as evidence to potentially bring prosecutions.
New capabilities may be brought into service in the coming months to track empty boats and improve recovery rates further, they added.
The spokesperson said: "The continued rise of dangerous Channel crossings is a clear abuse of our immigration laws, risking the lives of vulnerable people and funding vile criminal gangs.
“Despite the lies they have been sold by the people smugglers, migrants who travel through safe countries to illegally enter the UK will not be allowed to start a new life here.
"These individuals will be in scope to be relocated to Rwanda under our Migration and Economic Development Partnership.
“Our Nationality and Borders Act is beginning to have an impact on this exploitative business model, with 162 people already arrested since it became law, and we remain committed to removing those who flout our laws.”
More than 22,000 migrants crossed the English Channel in small boats since the start of the year as of August, government figures have shown.
A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: “As part of the cross-government approach to tackling small boat illegal migration in the Channel, His Majesty’s Coastguard is responsible for the initiation and coordination of Civil Maritime Search and Rescue to rescue those in danger and save life.
"The recovery of abandoned RIBs is undertaken by the MoD and Home Office.”
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