PM vows to beef up security to protect our borders

SECURITY must be beefed up to protect Britain’s border amid the mounting migrant crisis in Calais, David Cameron said yesterday.

Although more fencing and police officers had helped, further improvements to halt migrants crossing illegally into Britain were taking place “in the coming weeks and days”, the Prime Minister said.

He has come under increasing pressure in recent days to do more to end the crisis.

Mr Cameron said “We have done a lot to improve the situation but there’s a lot more to do. So we have got more fencing, we’ve got more police officers, more sniffer dogs, more guards, better security, we are making progress.

“But there’s a lot more to do, including better security in the tunnel itself and myself and the team of ministers I have put in place will oversee these improvements and they will take place in the coming weeks and days.”

His comments came as it was revealed that ministers had discussed plans to close the 31- mile Channel Tunnel if the problems in Calais worsen. The plan has been discussed at the Government’s emergency Cobra meetings in what is described as the “nuclear option”.

Sources said the option to close the tunnel – operated by Eurotunnel – exists but there are no immediate plans to do so.

A Government spokesman said: “We continue to consider all potential courses of action to improve security at the Channel Tunnel.”

On Tuesday, a 40- year- old suspected illegal immigrant from Sudan ran nearly the entire length of the tunnel from Calais before being held by British officers near Folkestone.