on both side of the Channel today with t

inside the Eurotunnel while migrants broke into stationary cars


Protesters crippled cross-Channel services for the second time in a week yesterday after striking ferry port workers started fires on the tunnel tracks in Calais.

The Government described the situation as ‘completely unacceptable’ as motorists faced huge tailbacks on both sides of the Channel in temperatures reaching up to 93F (34C).

There were dramatic scenes of roaring flames and black smoke as piles of tyres were set alight on the railway by protesters trying to sabotage the line approaching the Eurotunnel terminal.

Busy: Passengers wait, queue up and seek help from staff as a reduced service is run on Eurostar trains at London St Pancras station

Gridlock: Hundreds of cars and trucks were stuck in a huge traffic jam on a highway leading to the Channel tunnel in Calais

Desperate migrants could be seen trying to clamber on board stationary lorries as they were held in gridlock traffic jams approaching the port

Carnage: Striking French ferry workers from MyFerryLink burned tyres in the Eurotunnel tracks around 300 metres from the entry to the tunnel linking France and Britain.

Travellers wait at St Pancras after services to Paris and Brussels were suspended as striking French ferry workers blocked the tunnel

Waiting game: Two women converse at London St Pancras station in London after Eurostar services to Paris and Brussels were suspended

With lorries and cars gridlocked for ten miles on the approaches into Calais, hundreds of migrants again tried to break into vehicles headed for England. Motorists in Kent also faced long tailbacks as police launched Operation Stack – closing part of the M20 to allow lorries trying to make the crossing to queue.

Kent Police said the situation was ‘grim’ and drivers should expect ‘significant disruption’ until after the strike ends at midnight today.

The chaos began on Monday when workers at MyFerryLink launched a wildcat strike in protest at the firm being sold to a rival. The strike shut the Calais ferry port.

Helping out: A Eurostar worker holds up train time signs to help passengers, as a reduced service is run on trains at St Pancras station

In pursuit: French police officers, one carrying a gun (left), chase after migrants after seeing them attempt to clamber onboard lorries

Running away: Migrants flee from officers as they give chase along a track close to where lorries board the Eurotunnel

A group of seven migrants stand by a lorry as it sits stationary in the road. Police have been carrying out patrols up and down the route

A spokesman for Eurotunnel said 'there are migrants everywhere which means we have to control the trucks before they get to the site'

COACH DRIVER FOUND MIGRANTS IN HIS LUGGAGE HOLD BEFORE HANDING THEM IN - ONLY TO BE FINED £2,000 A coach driver who found two illegal migrants in his luggage compartment in Calais has been fined £2,000 despite handing them over to the authorities. Laurie Bourne, 64, alerted UK officials after discovering a lock had been tampered with. He even pulled the stowaways out of their hideout himself when UK Border Agency staff failed to persuade them to get out. He was then told he must not manhandle the men. Mr Bourne, who runs L & R Transport Services in Wickford, Essex, and is appealing the fine, said: ‘The men were handed back to French police who simply let them go and now I am the one in trouble. This has all been hard to stomach.’ The Home Office said: ‘All coach drivers entering the UK must take simple steps to avoid illegal immigrants boarding.’ Advertisement

Then yesterday, flag-waving militant protesters forced the Channel Tunnel to shut for three hours as up to 50 unionists cut through security fences around 12.45pm to light the fires.

All Eurostar and Eurotunnel travel was suspended as tunnel workers rushed to extinguish at least three fires on the railway lines at Coquelles, close to the terminal.

A senior source said: ‘They turned up with angle grinders to get through this new security fence. They burned tyres on the tracks. This is extremely serious.’ Although services restarted at 3.50pm protesters continued to attempt to access the tracks.

A Eurotunnel spokesman said there were ‘migrants everywhere’ and that they had moved from attacking trucks to trying to access the terminal directly.

Transport chaos: Travellers on both sides of the channel faced serious delays due to the striking workers and migrants attempting to enter Europe

On guard: French gendarmes stand near the tracks after workers operating on the MyFerryLink car and passenger ferry boats set fire to tyres at the entrance of the Channel Tunnel

Turmoil: Truck drivers wait near their lorries blocked on a road which leads to the Channel Tunnel terminal in Coquelles near Calais, northern France. Kent Police warned that the Port of Calais would be closed until Thursday while Eurotunnel described the situation as 'grim', particularly for freight traffic

Striking ferry workers are blockading the French port to all users, meaning the 'the local environment is in chaos ... there is gridlock', according to a Eurotunnel spokesman.

He said that in recent days the pattern of migrant activity has spread from attacking trucks on motorways to trying to access the terminal.

'There are migrants everywhere which means we have to control the trucks before they get to the site,' he said.

'We are running very reduced services because we can not control traffic through to the trains quickly enough,' the spokesman added.

Eric Vercoutre, the trade union firebrand behind the protest, has warned that British tourists travelling through Calais face ‘a hot summer’ of industrial action. He said: ‘If a solution isn’t found to save our 600 jobs, there will be a lot of disruption this summer. We’ll block everything, and this will disrupt Eurotunnel.’

March: Striking workers invade the Eurotunnel train tracks in Calais, northern France, in a protest against job cuts

Huge tailbacks: Lorries parked on the M20 near Charing in Kent as Operation Stack remains in place due to industrial action in Calais

Employee outrage: Workers operating on the MyFerryLink car and passenger ferry boats wait for the start of a meeting on the ferry 'le Berlioz' at the harbour of Calais, northern France

P&O Ferries chief executive Helen Deeble condemned the British and French governments for failing to act. She added: ‘Every day the disruption lasts costs UK plc millions of pounds.’

Migrants crowded around lorries could be seen working together distracting drivers so others could sneak on board, while others pelted journalists and photographers with stones.

A Eurotunnel spokesman said: ‘We are asking the French authorities to reinforce protection of the terminal.’ Lorry drivers said they were worried for their safety.Father-of-two Calum McDonald, 52, from Maidstone, Kent, had been stuck for five hours. He said the French police were ‘a joke’ and Britain’s ‘land of milk and honey’ image needed to change to put off the migrants.

‘The drivers feel under incredible pressure. Our families are so worried when we’re away because they know the gauntlet we run,’ he said.

Employees and firemen inspect the tracks after workers operating on the MyFerryLink car and passenger ferry boats set fire to tires, blocking the entrance of the Channel Tunnel

A striking worker walks past a pile of tires put on the Eurotunnel train tracks before being set on fire during a protest against job cuts in Calais

Disturbance: Workers march on the tracks in protect against job cuts. Ferry services to and from the Port of Dover in Kent have been hit by the strike, which started at the northern French port at 2.20pm yesterday

Grounded: The MyFerryLink car and passenger ferry 'le Rodin' is moored at the harbour of Calais

Take care: A MyFerryLink ferry is seen in the harbour of Calais, northern France. Police urged travellers to take precautions including keeping their vehicles well ventilated in queues

Ghost town: A general view of the empty harbour of Calais. Police have warned that the Port of Calais will remain closed until Thursday

The Government said it was working closely with its French counterparts to see services return to normal as soon as possible.

One group of schoolchildren were literally left stranded at sea after their ferry set out from Dover only to find the Port of Calais closed.

Sixty Year Seven pupils from Harrogate Grammar School were scheduled to go on trip to Le Touquet, France, from Monday 6am to Wednesday midnight.

But, when they were just a mile away from Calais on the ferry at around 2pm yesterday, they were turned away.

They were not able to get back into Dover until there was space, meaning they were stranded for a number of hours in the Channel.

The drama didn't end there for the children, with cancelled hotel stays and missing the Eurotunnel meaning they ended up at a hotel in London.

Shut up shop: The counter of the MyFerryLink company is seen closed at the ferry terminal of the harbour of Calais

Despite being turned away from Calais, Harrogate Gramma School were confident they would eventually reach their destination

However, it soon became apparent that the best thing to do was abort the trip to France

P&O Ferries took to Twitter yesterday to advise that 'all non-essential travel should be rebooked for a later date,' and that there were 'no ship movements in Port.'

Crew members and catering staff on MyFerrylink services announced a strike after Eurotunnel, which owns the ships, sold the cross-channel service to rival operator DFDS.

WHAT IS OPERATION STACK? Operation Stack is where parts of the M20 are used to queue lorries that are travelling towards the continent, to avoid causing gridlock across Kent's road network. It is only introduced as an emergency measure after consultation with other agencies and implemented following a thorough assessment of issues, including safety concerns and disruption on the road network. Advertisement

The sale came after a competition authority ruling and left up to 600 jobs, including 70 in Dover, under threat.

MyFerrylink, which runs 16 crossings from Dover to Calais, was due to officially stop all services from a minute past midnight on Thursday.

The firm could not promise that services will restart before then.

P&O Ferries chief executive Helen Deeble said: 'This has left thousands of holidaymakers and lorry drivers stranded without adequate facilities - even though our employees at the port have done their level best to keep them supplied with food and water.'

Last Tuesday hundreds of protesting French sailors blocked the Calais port and forced the suspension of Eurotunnel services between France and Britain in both directions after torching tyres on the tracks, causing traffic and travel chaos.

That demonstration also sparked a scramble among some of the thousands of illegal migrants camped in Calais hoping to reach Britain, as they battled to hitch a ride on vehicles stuck in traffic.

The French ferry company workers are protesting plans by Eurotunnel to sell two of their cross-channel ferries to rival Danish firm DFDS.

The Department for Transport has issued this map for cross-Channel travellers facing disruption at Calais, showing details of alternative routes for returning to the UK - including the length of time for getting across

Going nowhere: Buses transporting tourists and heading to England line up at the car ferry terminal in Calais yesterday

Eurotunnel announced in May it was halting its operational partnership with MyFerryLink due to legal complications, and this month decided to sell its ferries to DFDS.

The Danish ferry operator has said it plans to provide work for only 202 of the current 600 MyFerryLink workers.

The sale of the two ferries would leave MyFerryLink with just one boat in operation, meaning over half the workforce faces redundancy.