LONDON-The United Kingdom government said it had increased border security measures in the French port of Calais on Wednesday, the day after scores of migrants tried to board lorries headed to Britain during a strike there.
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Vastly outnumbered by the migrants, riot police did their best to keep them at bay and away from the trucks, hundreds of which were stuck in a huge tailback because of the closure of the Channel tunnel.
British Prime Minister David Cameron was in “close touch” with the French authorities and was likely to raise concerns about the scenes in Calais at an European Union summit this morning.
After sailing schedules were suspended throughout yesterday, ferry services to and from the French port of Calais have now resumed normal operation with spaces available, as both P&O Ferries and MyFerryLink twitter streams have confirmed. But hundreds of British motorists remain stranded in Calais, and Eurostar added that all services from London on Wednesday are now full and rebookings are being made for Thursday.
The Prime Minister had been challenged by acting Labour leader Harriet Harman to put pressure the French to start taking “effective action” on processing migrants who pass through the country.
The U.K.’s Freight Transport Association spokesperson Claire Britcher said drivers sitting in gridlock for hours were “sitting targets” for migrants who slashed open soft-sided trucks and broke locks in an effort to get inside.
“It’s an incredibly unsafe situation”, she said.
Dozens of migrants were seen in helicopter footage walking by the sides of motorways looking for opportunities to jump on to lorries destined for Dover.
The deputy mayor of Calais, Philippe Mignonet, had reiterated calls from French politicians for the border to be moved from northern France to Britain.
He instead blamed the Labour government that “didn’t budget for the country” and said his plan was to get more people working, alongside a higher rate of pay and lower taxes.
Home Secretary Theresa May has claimed a “significant number” of would-be migrants have been stopped from entering the United Kingdom via Calais in the last two days as David Cameron said the border chaos was “totally unacceptable”.
He stated that “there is also more work being done in terms of installing fencing not just around the port at Calais but also around the Eurostar and Eurotunnel entrance”.
Last year, a Guardian investigation revealed that at least 15 people living in the makeshift camps in Calais had died trying to get to the United Kingdom in just 12 months.
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“All these things can make a difference and we should work with the French very closely”.
