French officials have threatened to open up the border at Calais and 'let the migrants through' as the British and French governments warned the world is facing a 'global migration crisis'.

The crisis at the French port has reached fever pitch with more than 5,000 attempts by migrants make it across the Channel.

Now a senior official in Calais has threatened to let immigrants roam free through the port and into Britain, after accusing David Cameron of being 'provocative' by demanding the French take stronger action to put an end to the chaos.

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'Let the migrants through': French officials have threatened to open up the border at Calais in response to provocative language from David Cameron

Chaos: The crisis at the French port has reached fever pitch with more than 5,000 attempts by migrants make it across the Channel

Escape: A senior official in Calais has threatened to let immigrants roam free through the port and into Britain

Emmanuel Agius, deputy mayor of Calais, said he would tear up the Le Touquet Treaty which means people crossing the Channel are checked in France, rather than on arrival in Britain.

Responding to claims British troops could be sent to Calais, he told a French newspaper: 'If it continues like that, with such outrageous provocations, I believe that at a given moment, we are going to be provocative and say 'Let the migrants through', and Mr Cameron will have to deal with it.

'They will be on his territory, in the port of Dover. He poses as the saviour of the situation, on a subject he is greatly mistaken about, just as he is mistaken about the men and women of Calais.'

It is unlikely Mr Agius would have the power to scrap the treaty, which was introduced by the French and British governments as a way of dealing with the Sangatte migrant camp.

In a rare joint statement last night, Home Secretary Theresa May and her French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve said the world was facing a 'global migration crisis'.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, they said: 'We are both clear: tackling this situation is the top priority for the UK and French governments. We are committed and determined to solve this, and to solve it together.

Home Secretary Theresa May and her French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve said the world was facing a 'global migration crisis'

Emmanuel Agius, deputy mayor of Calais, said he would tear up a treaty which means people crossing the Channel are checked in France, rather than on arrival in Britain

May warned migrants planning on making the 'desperate' journey across Europe that Britain's streets 'are not paved with gold'

'What we are currently facing is a global migration crisis. This situation cannot be seen as an issue just for our two countries.

'It is a priority at both a European and international level. Many of those in Calais and attempting to cross the Channel have made their way there through Italy, Greece or other countries. That is why we are pushing other member states, and the whole of the EU, to address this problem at root.'

WHAT IS THE LE TOUQUET TREATY? The treaty means that migrants heading to Britain from France or Belgium are checked by the authorities before crossing the border. The same rules apply for people entering the two countries from Britain. Its predecessor, the Sangatte Protocol, was introduced in 1991, meaning people were checked at entrances to the Eurotunnel. This was extended to the Eurostar in 2000, and to services from Belgium in 2004. The agreement was renamed the Le Touquet Treaty in 2003 when cross-Channel restrictions were imposed on Ferry routes between France and Britain. Advertisement

They warned migrants planning on making the 'desperate' journey across Europe that Britain's streets 'are not paved with gold'.

The perceived cooperation between the two countries came after Labour called on David Cameron to demand France pays compensation to British holidaymakers and businesses who have lost out because of the crisis.

British tourists have faced huge delays crossing into France in recent weeks because of the chaos at Calais.

After making to the French port, they have then faced disruption from striking French ferry workers, who blocked roads in and out of the town with a wall of burning tyres on Friday.

Even after finally escaping from the town, some Britons then faced protesting farmers spraying their cars with manure in a dispute with the French government.

But the crisis has affected business in Britain too, with the UK economy taking a £250million hit every day.

Lorry drivers have faced 18-hour waits on the M20 in Kent thanks to Operation Stack, which has seen police close off the motorway to allow trucks to queue up while they wait to cross the Channel.

Protest: Striking French ferry workers blocked roads in and out of Calais with a wall of burning tyres on Friday

Going nowhere: Lorry drivers have faced 18-hour waits on the M20 in Kent thanks to Operation Stack

Stacked: The crisis has affected business in Britain too, with the UK economy taking a £250million hit every day

Queues stretched back for 36 miles earlier this week, but finally, six weeks after this stint of the operation began, the motorway was fully open.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, acting Labour leader Harman said Cameron's reaction to the crisis had been 'devoid of any serious solution'.

She said: 'It is wrong for UK businesses and families to face these costs given border security failures in France.

'Your discussions with the French government should therefore include a request for compensation backed up by any diplomatic pressure that may become necessary. Compensation should cover all losses.

'Over the last few days, your approach has been devoid of any serious solution to the crisis. You have failed to initiate any diplomatic pressure on the French government to assess asylum claims and make sure proper immigration procedures are followed.'

In a reference to the Prime Minister calling migrants in Calais a 'swarm', she added that Cameron had 'inflamed the situation with incendiary and divisive language'.

David Cameron has insisted he is working on tackling the growing chaos after warning British holidaymakers that they face a summer of misery.

Looming: About 800 migrants gathered at the Eurotunnel in Calais on Friday and 300 made it into a secure area - down on previous nights

Last-ditch attempt: Migrants have made thousands of attempts to cross the border in the last week

Dangerous: A man looks through an exit gate at the Eurotunnel terminal in Coquelles where hundreds of migrants have made attempts to cross through

But the chaos in the French port will not stop the Prime Minister from taking a holiday of his own, with Cameron due to take time off early this week with his family.

Downing Street said Cameron, who is also due to visit Portugal and Scotland this month, would be holidaying in Britain and insisted he would remain 'in charge'.

He held crisis talks about Calais with French president Francois Hollande on Friday night after declaring: 'We are absolutely on it.'

CAMERON'S FIVE-POINT PLAN More car parks Army barracks will be used as car parks to accommodate lorries stuck on the M20. A handful of soldiers will be involved, waving through the drivers and organising parking spaces. Ebbsfleet will also be used to accommodate HGV drivers at a temporary parking freight overspill. Extra fencing More fencing will be sent to secure the perimeter at the Eurotunnel site. The extra fencing will be on top of the 2.5 miles of 9ft-high fencing that was supposed to be in place by the end of this week – but it won’t be completed until next weekend. Migrants have been able to cut through the fencing currently in place. Sniffer dogs More search and sniffer dog teams will be sent to provide 24-hour cover of the terminal in Coquelles and the ferry port at Calais. Increase ferry capacity More ferries could be put on for holidaymakers on different routes so they are not disrupted by the crisis, though no such plans are yet in place. Fast-track Immigration Bill New powers to tackle illegal working and abuse of the asylum system will be sped up. Mr Cameron said the new Immigration Bill will be introduced as soon as Parliament returns. Advertisement

Britons have been forced to call off holidays because of the crisis, losing out on thousands of pounds because of the late cancellations.

Other families have chosen to travel through other ports, with a surge of bookings on ferries from Plymouth to Brittany.

Ministers are understood to have held talks with ferry companies about chartering extra services to ease the congestion, in addition to the Prime Minister's five-point plan for restoring order.

But his plans were denounced as a 'sticking plaster' by haulage bosses, who are said to be losing £700,000 a day because of the crisis.

Lorry chiefs warned that there could be food shortages - leading to rocketing prices in supermarkets - as whole lorry-loads of food are not making it through to Britain from Calais.

Richard Burnett, chief executive of the Road Haulage Association, said: ‘The measures aren’t enough, they are just sticking plasters in terms of trying to resolve this problem.

‘Until we actually contain the situation in Calais with the migrants, this situation is a crisis and it’s out of control.’

More than 5,000 attempts have been made by migrants to cross the Channel in the last week, with more than a thousand a day earlier this week.

The situation appeared to have quietened down on Friday night, when 300 were able to make it into a secure area at the Channel Tunnel.

It is not known how many migrants have succeeded in making it to Britain so far, but the Mail on Sunday revealed that those who have are being put up in hotels at the taxpayers' expense.

Stowaways who have illegally entered the country on lorries or trains through the Channel Tunnel are being transported across England and given their own hotel room, three cooked meals a day and a cash allowance of £35 a week.