Gangsters of Calais

MORE than a year after the notorious ‘Jungle’ camp was razed and its 8,000 migrants dispersed across France, Calais is once more a town plagued by violence.

Five Afghans were wounded on Saturday in a gunfight between rival peoplesmuggling gangs.

And in a separate incident, police opened fire on a car full of migrants as they crashed through a roadblock in a bid to reach Britain.

About 1,000 migrants – mainly asylum seekers – have returned and are sleeping rough around the town. The people traffickers charge up to £13,000 to sneak them across the Channel.

The British taxpayer has already forked out £124million for extra security and France is now asking for £80million more. For that kind of money, surely we have a right to expect more effective action.

By allowing numbers to rise again, the French authorities are simply encouraging more and more migrants to come to Calais and take their chance – whatever the dangers.

Meanwhile, the ruthless gangsters who exploit them continue to get rich.