DUNKIRKREFUGEEWOMENSCENTRE*FACEBOOK The gutted remains of the Dunkirk Refugee Women's Centre after it was hit by arsonists.

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The Women's Centre at the refugee camp in Grande-Synthe on the outskirts of Dunkirk, northern France, was gutted by fire only a few weeks after it was officially opened by volunteers. The centre was opened as a safe place for women refugees and their infants to get emotional support, help and information around feeding babies and young children, and health advice. It was funded by thousands of pounds raised through crowdfunding. According to volunteers helping refugees within the camp, which has housed hundreds of migrants trying to get into the UK since 2006, it has been infiltrated by a migrant "criminal gang" that is believed may be responsible for the fire. It is not clear if this month's alleged arson has been officially reported to the authorities, but details of it have emerged in an online blog written by a volunteer who visited the camp.

Maddie McMahon, a breastfeeding counsellor from Cambridge who embarked on a visit, wrote in a blog on thebirthhub.co.uk of her upset at learning about the fire after previously visiting the centre, and of the criminal gangs. She said: "The Woman's Centre is gutted. So are we. "A devastating fire. The Woman’s Centre was gone. Completely gone. The volunteers and some of the refugee women and children stood around in silence. "No one knew what to say. We hugged. We cried. We began to ask questions. No one seemed to know what had happened. "What was clear was that the lorry container that was being converted into a safe, quiet room for the mothers had been broken into and gutted by fire, along with the main space. "A deliberate act. Whether it was pre-meditated or just the result of desperation and alcohol, we don’t know. "What we do know is that there are some very bad men.

DUNKIRKREFUGEE*FACEBOOK It is hoped that the centre will now be rebuilt by volunteers.

"A deliberate act. Whether it was pre-meditated or just the result of desperation and alcohol, we don’t know. Maddie McMahon

"A criminal element intent on making money from these people. Those still carrying their life savings with them will pay for passage. £3,000 is the going rate to be trafficked to the uk." She had been on a mission to deliver buckets for sterilising cups, dummies, and other infant-related equipment to mothers at the centre. She speculated over why the centre may have burnt down, adding: "Many of these homeless men were breaking into the Woman’s Centre every night, burning anything that wasn’t nailed down in order to stay warm. "As the weather gets colder and everyone feels a bit more desperate and depressed, alcohol starts creeping into the equation."

DUNKIRKREFUGEE*FACEBOOK The women's centre was set up with £8,000 of crowdfunded money.

Another woman, who lives near York, went on a mission to help women and child refugees in northern France this month. She kept a diary of her trip, which she shared with Express.co.uk. She wrote: "We contacted the Dunkirk camp Women's Centre built just two or three weeks before because we saw on Facebook the building had just burned down. The centre had been open for less than a month. "We then wondered why no-one was talking about the fire in the Women's Centre, a centre where the refugees got to mix with western women and become empowered. "This may sound controversial speculation but no-one would answer questions about the fire. "The fact the centre was built with £8k of crowdfunded money and lasted only two weeks was a real shame for those who put all the effort/donations in too, lets hope the new one lasts long enough to make a difference."

DUNKIRKREFUGEE*FACEBOOK Criminal migrant men are believed by volunteers to have been responsible for the fire.

"Alcohol and machismo and organised crime…it’s a volatile combination." Ms McMahon said it was vital that permission was given "for a new structure to be built as soon as possible". She said: "No one knows what will happen next. The deterioration of the camp will inevitably lead to even more tensions and deprivation and that leads to bad feeling and violence and a way in for organised crime, drugs and alcohol. "What was set up as a safe place for families with nothing is no longer meeting international humanitarian standards." But, a post on her blog said it would probably just be torched again if rebuilt. They said: "I worry that simply rebuilding the Women’s Centre, without addressing the reasons for the destruction, will simply mean that there is another fire.

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