Refugee children sent from the demolished makeshift “Jungle” camp in Calais are being made to work in fruit farms, a charity has claimed.

Safe Passage, a programme run by immigration charity Citizens UK, said refugee children living in the reception centres set up to accommodate those evicted from the Calais camp last month are being forced to work on farms nearby or share accommodation with adults.

The charity said some children have begun to abscond as many are not given enough information about the progress of their asylum claims.

During the week of 14 November, 33 boys living in reception centres across the country were interviewed by telephone.

Three of the boys told researchers they had been made to work in fruit farms which provided food for supermarkets and another three said adults were living in the accommodation designed exclusively for children.

Some 15 per cent of the boys said they did not feel safe in the centre and 39 per cent said they felt they had been better off in Calais.

One children said: “It looks like a prison, we don't have any things to play with and all the time we staying in our room and it is not safe for us, we live in middle of adults, their ages are over 20 years.”

Another begged for help: “Please do everything that is possible to help us. We have family in UK. We are human not animals and we are stuck here”.

Calais refugee camp evacuation Show all 15 1 /15 Calais refugee camp evacuation Calais refugee camp evacuation Refugees run past a fire in the makeshift migrant camp known as 'the jungle' in Calais, October 2016 AP Calais refugee camp evacuation French authorities say the closure of the slum-like camp in Calais will last approximately a week in what they describe as a "humanitarian" operation, October 2016 AP Calais refugee camp evacuation A painted message saying 'Bye Jungle' on a tent in the camp in Calais, October 2016 Getty Calais refugee camp evacuation Refugees set rubbish bins alight as a protest in the makeshift camp 'the Jungle' in Calais, France, October 2016 EPA Calais refugee camp evacuation French riot police advance through tear gas and smoke from a fire to disperse refugees throwing stones and lighting fires at the Jungle migrant camp Getty Calais refugee camp evacuation French CRS riot police secure an area on the eve of the evacuation and transfer of refugees to reception centers in France Reuters Calais refugee camp evacuation Journalists run away from smoke during clashes near a makeshift refugee camp known as 'the jungle' in Calais AP Calais refugee camp evacuation French CRS riot police secure an area on the eve of the evacuation and transfer of refugees to reception centers in Franc Reuters Calais refugee camp evacuation Migrants queue for transportation by bus to reception centres across France, from the 'Jungle' refugee camp in Calais Getty Calais refugee camp evacuation Refugees line-up to register at a processing centre in the 'jungle' near Calais, northern France, as the mass exodus from the migrant camp begins PA wire Calais refugee camp evacuation Refugees with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Calais refugee camp evacuation French far-right Front National (FN) party's member of parliament Marion Marechal-Le Pen (L) delivers a speech next to a banner reading "They arrive in Vaucluse, no migrants in our place" as she attends a rally against the hosting of refugees in La Tour d'Aigues Getty Images Calais refugee camp evacuation French police forces secure the area near the 'Jungle' refugee camp in Calais Getty Calais refugee camp evacuation Refugees leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Calais refugee camp evacuation Refugees carry their belongings and transfer to reception centers in France

The charity was told two boys had already run away from the centre and two more were considering fleeing with one saying “If others run away I am not going to stay”.

Many said they felt they did not understand what was happening with their asylum applications and three of them had not spoken to anyone “official” (meaning a lawyer, French or UK authorities or local volunteers) since their arrival.

Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) said they had not been given clean clothes since their arrival but all said they had access to showers, hot water and at least three meals a day and only two said staff had not made them feel welcome.

Calais 'Jungle' exodus: Charity boss likens refugee treatment to Nazi persecution

Rabbi Janet Darley, Citizens UK Leader, said: “We are hugely concerned about the safeguarding of children in the CAOs in France.

“The Safe Passage team have had reports of forced labour, and unaccompanied children being made to live with adults.

“Although the CAOs are, on the whole, safe places for the children to live, they cannot be used as an excuse to delay the transfer of children to the UK.

“Every day children are separated from their families in the UK, or the opportunity to be placed with foster families, they are missing out on their childhoods.”

Following the destruction of the camp there was furore among charities and campaigners after it emerged that some refugee children were sleeping in the open air as the safe space accommodation designed to look after them was reportedly full.

French authorities were criticised for not having the reception centres up and ready in time for the destruction of the camp.

So far some 350 child refugees have arrived in the UK out of the estimated 2,000 living in the camp when it closed but charities are urging the Home Office to settle at least 1,000 by Christmas.