French riot police disperse migrants at Channel Tunnel

The migrant crisis in the northern French port of Calais has hit the headlines in the past week, with people desperate to reach Britain making attempt after attempt to breach Eurotunnel (Paris: FR0010533075 – news) defences, some paying for it with their lives.

Some of those measures – such as extra sniffer dogs and fencing to secure the terminal buildings and platforms – were announced last week.

Earlier, the RHA welcomed increased security measures at Calais but called for a “more comprehensive solution” to restore free movement of lorries through the port.

Landlords who fail to remove illegal immigrants who do not have the right to live in the UK – or who do not carry out checks on their status before renting out properties – could face up to five years in jail, said Communities Secretary Greg Clark.

In recent weeks, hundreds of migrants have tried to make it into the undersea tunnel connecting France to Britain in the hopes of finding a way onto a train or truck headed for the UK.

The pair additionally prompt that one step in the direction of a long-term answer to the disaster was convincing would-be migrants that “our streets are usually not paved with gold”.

A police source said Tuesday some 500 migrants were seen overnight next to the Channel Tunnel site near Calais. Their attempts resulted in the deaths of several migrants and traffic disruptions in the tunnel.

“In most states, the border control guards are armed and that acts as a deterrent to those trying to climb a fence because they know they risk being shot”.

Cazeneuve met May in London on Tuesday to discuss the migrant issue, which has been a thorn in the side of Franco-British relations for years but has taken on fresh urgency following a spike in the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean.

The governments are keen to show a united front on this issue, but many British politicians have criticized France for supposedly lax security at the tunnel.

But the government’s approach has angered some.

“We’ve become an increasingly harsh world, and when we become harsh with each other and forget our humanity then we end up in these stand-off positions”, Willmott said in an interview with The Observer newspaper.

Mr Johansson was critical of Mr Cameron’s rhetoric: “I hear what he is saying about “illegal immigrants” and “swarms” and I think he is trying to divide people, that that is not a constructive way”.

“British people don’t want immigration”, said Paul Golding, leader of the Britain First party. “It is all talk”.