SEND IN ARMY TO HALT MIGRANT INVASION
Call for action to end chaos in Calais
THE escalating migrant crisis in Calais prompted demands yesterday for troops to be sent in.
As one migrant died and 1,500 attempted to storm Eurotunnel trains, offi cials on
both sides of the Channel bickered over how to sort out the mess.
The ferry and train terminals are now under nightly siege as some 5,000 migrants in a nearby camp dubbed the “Jungle” attempt to enter the UK illegally.
The crisis has caused travel chaos, with motorists reporting long queues to get into terminals. Kent Police said Operation Stack – where freight traffi c is parked
on the M20 when cross- Channel crossings are disrupted – is expected to last all week.
Now politicians and those representing British hauliers – currently losing £ 750,000 a day because of the chaos – have said it is time for military action.
Ukip leader Nigel Farage led those calling for the British Army to be sent to help search vehicles coming into the UK for illegal immigrants.
Hauliers said French troops should also be called in to Calais to protect drivers.
Mr Farage said: “In all civil emergencies like this we have an army, we have a bit of a TA and we have a very overburdened police force and Border Agency.
“If in a crisis, to make sure we’ve actually got the manpower to check lorries coming in to stop people illegally coming to Britain, if in those circumstances we can use the Army or other forces then why not.”
Former Home Office minister Ann Widdecombe said: “There is an argument for the Army getting involved but there then has to be a clear policy of what to do with the migrants when they are found – and in my opinion they should be sent straight back to Calais. The town is the responsibility of the French. We haven’t had control of Calais since the reign of Queen Mary. The migrants are in a safe country and the French must uphold the law in their own country.”
Eurotunnel yesterday revealed it has already blocked more than 37,000 people attempting to cross into the UK so far this year.
French authorities last night confirmed a Sudanese man, aged between 25 and 30, was crushed to death by a lorry in Calais which was leaving one of the shuttles that transport vehicles through the tunnel.
Meanwhile in Paris an Egyptian teenager was critically injured while trying to climb on to the roof of a Eurostar train at the Gare du Nord station.
He was electrocuted and remains in intensive care in hospital.
Kevin Hurley, the police and crime commissioner for Surrey, called for Gurkhas based at Shorncliffe barracks in Folkestone to be deployed to protect Britain’s border.
He said: “I am increasingly frustrated by the huge numbers of illegal migrants who jump out of the backs of lorries at the first truck stop – Cobham Services in Surrey – and disappear into our countryside. There were 100 in the last month alone.”
Last night the Road Haulage Association warned that the lives of lorry drivers were in danger.
Chief executive Richard Burnett said: “It has become clear that the French authorities in Calais simply cannot cope. This has become an untenable situation and is obviously now beyond the capabilities of the French police. We need to see help on a giant scale. We think it’s a resources issue. The police resources are obviously limited and the military will have greater resources.”
“For the thousands of British drivers whose lives are now being put at risk on a regular basis, a quick and effective solution to the current situation must be found.”
Home Secretary Theresa May convened an emergency Cobra committee meeting yesterday to discuss the issue but side- stepped calls for the Army to be involved.
She said: “This is about ensuring we get that security fencing up, it’s about working with Eurotunnel to ensure we have got the best measures in place.”
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said two mobile units, or 120 additional police staff, will be “temporarily deployed in Calais” in order to contribute to the security of the site.