New Calais chaos as migrant mobs try to storm UK trucks
HUNDREDS of migrants trying to sneak into Britain have attacked lorries as a fresh wave of mayhem erupts in Calais.
Violence flared when refugees desperate to cross the Channel used makeshift roadblocks to force trucks to slow down.
The baying mobs pelted the vehicles with stones and then charged forward, attempting to clamber aboard.
The spike in lawlessness raised fears of yet another summer of chaos, with refugees taking advantage of traffic jams on roads approaching the port.
It prompted calls for France to deploy troops to protect British truckers and tourists.
Pauline Bastidon, head of European policy at the Freight Transport Association, said: “French and British governments need to work together to solve the migrant issue at Calais, both for the safety of our drivers and the migrants.
“There is a need for urgent action by the French to ensure the area is policed adequately and to protect drivers transporting goods, so trade can continue to flow freely between France and the UK.”
Truckers have this week described how migrants used bins to block entry to the port and hurled missiles at stationary traffic. A Czech driver was injured and taken to hospital before police dispersed a mob.
It is estimated 700 migrants are now living rough in Calais.
Although that is a massive reduction on the 10,000 holed up in the notorious Jungle camp before it was flattened last October, officials fear months of trouble lie ahead.
The past two summers have seen running battles on roads surrounding Calais between migrants and riot police. The new unrest comes after the Daily Express revealed that UK taxpayers are paying £1million a week trying to fix the crisis.
Home Office figures show £315.9million has been spent since 2010 attempting to repel the threat on our doorstep.
At the height of the chaos in 2015, Britain put £111million into boosting security.
The amount spent since 2010, which could have paid for more than 13,500 nurses, includes funding a 13ft barricade lining the approach to the port to prevent migrants vehicles.
Despite the Jungle’s demolition, this newspaper has found evidence that migrants and people-smugglers have returned to the area in large numbers.
Traffickers have been seen loading illegal migrants into the backs of lorries at motorway service stations close to Calais and Dunkirk.
The Freight Transport Association warned drivers to be “extremely vigilant” on roads outside ports. getting at