Driver killed as migrants block Calais road

A VAN driver was killed yesterday when he crashed into a tailback on a motorway near Calais, northern France, after Uk-bound migrants had blocked the way with tree trunks.

The Polish-registered van burst into flames when it crashed into trucks that had come to a halt due to the roadblock.

A spokesman for the Prefecture du Pas-de-calais said the fatal crash took place at around 3.45am yesterday, on the port-bound motorway between junction 49 and 50 near Guemps.

He said: “This van hit one of the three trucks stopped by the block and set alight. The identity of the driver is not known at this stage, considering the state of the body.”

“Nine Eritrean migrants found in one of the heavy goods trucks held up by the roadblock were arrested. They were taken into custody.”

The incident has prompted calls for the French army to intervene.

For years Calais has been a base for migrants from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach Britain illegally. Last year the French government shut down a sprawling camp known as “The Jungle” that housed thousands of would-be migrants, insisting that it had dealt with the issue by relocating them.

However, migrants have returned to the port area in recent months and they regularly try to stop trucks bound for Britain via Calais, throwing objects on to the roads to slow or bring vehicles to a halt so that they can slip into the cargo-section and conceal themselves.

Such roadblocks have caused accidents in the past but this is the first time they have been linked to a death, according to the official.

One police source said there had been an increase in such incidents in recent weeks.