Tourists face huge delays as lorry drivers stage protest against camp
A PLANNED go-slow protest by lorry drivers tomorrow in Calais is likely to cause huge tailbacks for thousands of Britons returning home from Europe after the summer break.
Shopkeepers, residents and farmers are set to join hauliers in calling for the northern section of the sprawling Jungle camp at the French port to be demolished.
The action, which is set to take place on roads around the town, will disrupt the travel plans of people arriving in Calais both from around France and from the UK. Pressure has been growing on the French authorities to tackle the problem which has seen the camp swell in size in recent months.
At the same time, attacks on British and French motorists and lorry drivers approaching the port have soared in number – and severity.
Migrants have resorted to increasingly desperate and hostile measures to reach the UK. Every night, gangs place blockades on roads to force lorries to slow down so they can try to jump on board.
The drivers are often threatened with chainsaws, knives and baseball bats.
Despite efforts to reduce numbers by dismantling the slum’s southern section earlier this year, more than 9,000 migrants from countries including Sudan, Syria and Eritrea are living there in squalor. French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve met British and French truckers and business leaders on Friday in negotiations which saw the protest downgraded from a full blockade.
Richard Burnett, chief executive of the Road Haulage Association (RHA), said: ‘It is inevitable that even this lesser course of action will still cause disruption to port traffic, and we would advise hauliers to take alternative routes if possible.’
French authorities have pledged to dismantle the camp by next month and deploy an additional 1,000 security staff in the area, according to the RHA.