FACEBOOK•CALAIS SOLIDARITY Bulldozers have demolished a mosque, church and school in the Calais Jungle

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Volunteers and refugees rushed to save possessions and clear out shelters as French authorities began tearing down the places of worship and a school. More than 1,500 migrants have been evicted after the French government decided to create a 100-metre buffer zone between the Jungle and the nearby road to protect lorries from attacks. The demolition of the church and mosque in the buffer zone has sparked outrage among refugee charities, who claim the buildings were torn down despite local authorities promising to not touch places of worship.

Charity groups also criticised the lack of notice from local authorities, who gave just one hour’s notice before sending the bulldozers in which were heavily guarded by police. Help Refugees, a migrant charity working in the Jungle, posted on Facebook: “Sad to report that the Church has now been demolished despite the Prefecture promises to not touch places of worship.

FACEBOOK The area was heavily guarded by police as bulldozers demolished shelters

There was just time for a last minute prayer before the machinery tore in Help Refugees

“There was just time for a last minute prayer before the machinery tore in. “The pastor stood by in dignified silence, clutching the remaining cross from the Church roof.” Christian Salomé, director of the charity group L’Auberge des migrants, said: “It had been agreed that the church and mosque would stay. “By destroying [these places of worship], the authorities are overlooking charities and fuelling the conflict with migrants, many of whom are religious people who use these places.”

some of the humanitarians believed the police when they said they'd spare the church... never trust the cops! #ACAB pic.twitter.com/8qAdrPum9Q — Calais Solidarity (@calaisolidarity) February 1, 2016

the police defend the bulldozer as it destroys the church #ACAB #calais pic.twitter.com/VGS23pc1Cr — Calais Solidarity (@calaisolidarity) February 1, 2016

An Orthodox church and “five or six mosques” are left in the Jungle, according to Mr Salomé. The charity director also claimed the places of worship were not in the security buffer created by local authorities.

FACEBOOK French authorities have been demolishing parts of the Jungle to create a buffer zone

The Pas-de-Calais prefecture said: “There was a mosque and Evangelical church among the buildings and shelters in this 100-metre buffer zone, which were in the middle of the area and were emptied this morning.” The mosque held daily services with up to 300 people in the Jungle, according to Help Refugees.

Evicted Calais migrants sleep rough in Paris Wed, August 3, 2016 Hundreds of migrants evicted from the Calais Jungle camp sleep rough in Paris. Play slideshow Caters News Agency 1 of 191 Calais camp is dismantled as resident set fires and throw stones at Police

Unrest broke out in the Jungle after French authorities started tearing down parts of the squalid shanty town which is home to more than 4,000 migrants desperate to reach Britain. Residents living within the 100-metre buffer are being moved from tents and makeshift shelters into more permanent faculties.

FACEBOOK Migrants were given just an hour to clear the area

Many refused to move from the camp into new accommodation because they felt it would ruin their chances of crossing the English Channel. The new £20million-shipping containers, kitted out with bunk beds, heating and electricity, have been criticised for being prison-like. Volunteers and refugees have been attempting to move the makeshift homes out of the buffer zone before the arrival of the bulldozers.

Sad day in #Calais today. Mosque and Church bulldozed w/out warning. This was b4 and after. #whenwillitstop pic.twitter.com/sKSnpbbwJV — HelpRefugeesUK (@HelpRefugeesUK) February 1, 2016