Migrants near Calais caught on CCTV after attacking Mark Stone and his crew

Sky News has witnessed the increasing levels of lawlessness in pockets of northern France as authorities struggle to contain the violence committed by some of the migrants and refugees in the area.

Shortly before 11pm on Thursday night, three colleagues and I were attacked by a group of between 20 and 25 men.

It is the latest example of how small violent elements of the huge migrant population living in the Jungle camp and other new settlements are roaming lawlessly.

Sky producer Andy Marsh, cameraman Richie Mockler, a security consultant and I had arrived at the northbound Shell service station on the E15 near the village of Norrent-Fontes.

Violence spreads from Calais Jungle camp

We had been prompted to investigate migrant activity at the service station after spending a few hours the previous day at a new migrant camp that has popped up nearby.


:: First 'jungle' camp minors arrive in UK from Calais

Since the French government announced that it would demolish the Calais jungle camp by the end of the year, there has been evidence of new camps appearing elsewhere in the countryside of northern France.

The Norrent-Fontes camp numbered a few dozen until a few months ago. New estimates now suggest that it's home for more than 300 Eritreans, Ethiopians and Sudanese.

We had spent a few hours on Wednesday in the Norrent-Fontes camp and didn't feel at all threatened.

We spoke to many of those living there who were friendly and welcoming. Most were happy to be interviewed on camera and explained how war and political oppression had pushed them from their homes.

September: Fight for survival in the Jungle

They also pointed out why they had settled in this new camp - its proximity to the service station makes it the perfect point from which to try to sneak onto lorries to the UK.

We moved up to the service station and found a ditch next to the truck stop with blankets, empty bottles and other litter.

It was clear to us that the migrants wait here at night and then try to board the lorries parked a few yards away. We wanted to see and record this happening.

The following evening we returned to the service station, parked on the garage forecourt and walked over to the ditch area, filming as we walked.

September: Dangers faced by Calais truckers

As we reached the ditch area, we heard voices and were then approached out of the darkness by three men, all clearly migrants.

One asked, in broken English, what we were doing there. Extending my hand, I explained that we were journalists and wanted to see what they were doing.

The man then moved back towards the ditch. We moved forward and looked over the fence into the ditch, where 20 or 25 men were crouching. They moved up and began to chase us, lobbing rocks.

We ran back towards the forecourt and reunited with producer Andy Marsh who was with the car.

The group stopped chasing us and we thought we were safe. Foolishly though we then decided to check the footage on our camera before driving off.

A minute or so later the group returned from a different direction and armed with sticks, rocks and at least one knife.

What followed was violent and frightening. We didn't have time to get into the car because, unbelievably, the central locking had activated and in the seconds it took to unlock it, the mob was on us.

Image: An estimated 9,000 migrants are living in the sprawling Jungle camp

Andy Marsh was already in the car but the others ran in different directions each being chased by a number of men.

Some caught up with the Sky security consultant who fought them back. More wrestled with cameraman Richie Mockler. In the commotion, he lost hold of one his two cameras.

It was clear by this stage that they wanted our cameras. But they were throwing rocks and hitting us with sticks. One threatened Richie with a blade.

Andy, behind the wheel of our car, drove at speed towards the men in an attempt to intimidate them and chase them off.

The tactic worked - I heard him driving fast behind me as I was being pursued down a slip road next to the garage. The man chasing me then jumped over into a ditch and disappeared.

After a sustained attack lasting a few minutes, the migrants dispersed. We regrouped in the car and drove off, bruised, cut and without one of our cameras. All our footage had been lost.

Image: Reports of sexual assaults and violent attacks have surfaced as conditions in the Jungle camp worsen

It is probable that the migrant who originally approached us was a smuggler too; a co-ordinator who organises the process of getting the migrants onto the trucks.

He would not want his face or smuggling tactics to be filmed and appears to have encouraged the other migrants to mount the attack.

The violence is similar to the weekly attacks on truck drivers at service stations and port approach roads in the area.

Footage from truck dashboard cameras show the tactics migrants use to slow the lorries down so that they can attempt to hide on the trailers.

Branches are laid across the carriageway, forcing the lorries to stop. In some instances rocks are also thrown.

Despite a heavy police presence, patrolling the roads and service stations, evidence suggests they are struggling in their efforts to stop the attacks.