Immigrant denies blocking trains on 31-mile walk through Channel Tunnel

Haroun is believed to have been found inside the 31-mile long Chunnel near its exit at Folkestone, Kent, on August 4.

Authorities have stepped up security, improved fencing and increased border patrols amid an unprecedented surge in migrants trying to reach Britain from France.

Haroun has been charged under a law enacted more than 130 years before the rail tunnel opened.

Little is known about Haroun’s background.

Through the interpreter, Haroun, who had short hair and was wearing a light gray t-shirt, confirmed his name and said he was not guilty of the charge against him.

Nicholas Jones, defending, told the court that Haroun’s defence would rest on two main planks.

If the prosecution is successful, Mr Haroun could face prosecution and would be highly unlikely to get asylum. The police declined to comment.

He denied the charge and was remanded into custody until his trial in January.

According to the latest official figures, 79 percent of the 1,603 Sudanese applicants for asylum in Britain in the 12 months to March were granted refugee status at the first attempt.