Police tear down Paris migrant camp

HUNDREDS of UK-bound migrants were among those cleared out of an illegal camp in Paris yesterday.

The destruction of the settlement of about 1,500 people close to the Eurostar station in Porte de la Chapelle follows the election of Emmanuel Macron as President of France.

He has already indicated he wants to stop migrants living rough in France as they await UK immigration checks on French territory.

The president-elect would far rather they were allowed to travel straight across the Channel to be processed here as soon as possible. Hundreds of riot officers were involved in the dawn operation and a Paris police spokesman said: ‘These illegal camps are a major risk for the security and health of their occupants and local residents.’

There were no serious disturbances as the mainly Afghan and Sudanese migrants boarded coaches that took them to welfare centres around France.

Many of the Afghans speak English and are keen to get to the UK. The razed camp was a few hundred yards from an official refugee centre, where men only can live for two weeks before moving on.

There are queues to get into the facility every morning, but many of them are rejected and congregate nearby.

‘It’s true it has become a magnet for lots of migrants,’ said a local aid worker, who asked to be identified only as Ralph.

‘They get here hoping to enjoy food and lodging, and are then told they are not welcome. So they sleep rough nearby, and then the police move them on.

‘It is an impossible situation. All they want is to be allowed to go straight to Britain.’