Border alert as 10,000 migrants mass in Calais
MIGRANTS are flooding into Calais so rapidly that 10,000 could be trying to sneak into Britain by the end of August, it was claimed last night.
As many as 150 refugees are arriving every day, swelling the population of a camp that is already bursting with desperate migrants trying to cross the Channel.
The crisis has sparked a high- level border alert. However, it is also having a devastating impact on British holidaymakers trying to go to France.
With security stretched to breaking point and the situation spiralling out of control, families have been warned to expect more misery.
Steven Woolfe, the Ukip MEP, said: “When I was in Calais a month ago I warned that unless urgent action was taken to stop illegal migrants setting up camp there would be no end in sight to those trying to get to Britain.
“But they are becoming more desperate in their attempts to get across the Channel and this is conspiring to make it a summer of hell. The French need to apply their own laws to stop the further deterioration.”
There are now thought to be 5,000 migrants living in a makeshift camp called the “Jungle”. They have come to Calais hoping to get into Britain where they can claim asylum.
Gangs have brought the port to a standstill as they stow away on UKbound lorries or board freight trains.
The impact of ongoing industrial action and striking French farmers is being felt on British roads. The bottleneck has caused gridlock on the M20 in Kent. Paul Watters of the AA said: “We have had trouble at the Port of Calais before but it is the combination of other factors this time that is taking things to another level.”
Refugee charities say migrants are flocking to Calais at a rate of between 50 and 150 a day.
The crisis has been simmering for months but has dramatically worsened this summer. The “Jungle” is now so vast it has a mosque, farm and shops while its inhabitants openly brag how they can pass through porous border controls. Police are unable to stem the tide with one exasperated Border Force official saying “the clandestines are running riot”.
Eurotunnel spokesman John Keefe said: “The police are clearly overwhelmed and the assaults on our terminal each night are significant.”
Last week two girls broke through fencing and wandered on to the railway track as high- speed Eurotunnel trains thundered past. They were bundled away by security guards.
But the service was temporarily suspended on Thursday when the body of a migrant was found on the roof of a train at Folkestone.
Thousands of men from war- torn countries such as Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea and Afghanistan moved to the sprawling camp earlier this year.
A Government spokesman said: “The disruption to cross- Channel services is completely unacceptable. We continue to work very closely with the French authorities over the need to stop blockades.”