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Britain, France ask EU nations to help with migrant crisis

As the migrants scrambled down to the final fence line, dozens of police arrived to back up the military.

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The group clashed with security forces for almost an hour, reportedly chanting slogans such as “Open the border” and “We are not animals”.

In the UK, migrants can obtain accommodation and a support allowance worth £36 a week from the moment they claim asylum.

France and Britain vowed on August 2 that ending a crisis which has seen thousands of attempts by migrants to reach England from Calais in recent weeks is a “top priority“.

‘It is wrong for UK businesses and families to face these costs given border security failures in France, ‘ acting Labour Party leader Harriet Harman said in a letter to Cameron.

Both countries are committed to tackling the problem together and have beefed up security to deter further bids by desperate migrants to smuggle themselves to Britain, the statement said.

“We will also require them to meet their basic responsibilities as landlords, cracking down on those who rent out unsafe, dirty and overcrowded properties”.

France is also sending police reinforcements as part of the new package of measures.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, whose government on Monday announced new measures to crack down on illegal immigrants, came under fire last week for comments in which he referred to “swarms” of people seeking to get into the country.

But the ministers wrote that the “long-term answer” to the migrant problem lay in discouraging migrants from trying to reach Europe in hopes of bettering their economic circumstances.

Harriet Harman has written to Mr Cameron demanding he ask the French to compensate Britons affected by the chaos in Calais.

They are estimated to be losing over €9,000 a day as a result of the delays.

“Your discussions with the French government should therefore include a request for compensation backed up by any diplomatic pressure that may become necessary”.

But Downing Street said pointing the finger of blame was not the right way to find a solution.

She added: “We do have disruption to services, passenger and freight”.

“The French authorities have put in extra lighting, we just heard a helicopter going over and there are police scattered around this area”.

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“We are here to make it clear to the migrants that many people here would welcome them and that the way they are being treated is not in our name”, said Ms Bridget Chapman, organiser of the pro-migrant demonstration.

Cameron blames Calais for deepening crisis that claimed the life of a migrant