A migrant has died trying to reach Britain through the Channel Tunnel

Drivers say they now have to run the gauntlet of intimidation and threatening behaviour from desperate migrants who try to break in to the back of their container lorries bound for the United Kingdom.

The bold attempt by migrants to storm the terminal led to renewed calls for authorities to act to solve the worsening crisis, which is costing the United Kingdom economy millions of pounds.

At 3pm, Eurotunnel was reporting 60 minute delays on services from Coquelles to Folkestone. All of it is targeted at making it harder for migrants to access our sites, and to make our sites safer for our customers.

Disruptions occurred after about 150 migrants tried to storm the terminal on the French side, authorities said.

But with more industrial action threatened this week it will not come soon enough.

“They (the French authorities in Calais) are certainly under-resourced”. M20 closed coastbound 8 to 9.

The spokesman said traffic was interrupted with long queues of lorries and cars forming, but an AFP journalist said the incident was resumed a few hours later. “Junctions 11 -12 also now closed”.

THE M20 is fully open after Operation Stack was lifted this afternoon.

Tim Waggott, Chief Executive, Port of Dover, said: “The scale and prolonged period of disruption is bad for us all and it is bad for the United Kingdom too”.

They have joined calls for “robust contingency plans” to be introduced to ensure the port – a £100bn trade route – can operate unimpeded. “That is simply unacceptable and incredibly damaging”.

The force said there may still be residual delays in the area while the road network returns to normal.

The crisis in France is putting stress on lorry drivers, who face the constant fear of stowaways.

British truck drivers complain French officials are not doing enough protect their interests.

Kate Gibbs, also of the RHA, added: “The French don’t see it as their problem but we have got to see action”.

Dan Cook, operations director at Europa Worldwide, a transport and logistics business, said “marauding mobs” of migrants were breaking into the company’s vehicles.