As the demolition got under way, dozens of Eritrean and Ethiopian women aged between 17 and 30 marched past, chanting “We want asylum in England.” Hundreds of the camp’s children are being accommodated temporarily in converted shipping containers in a fenced-off enclosure at the camp, which will not be demolished for the time being.

A French interior ministry spokesman said: "We do not want to use force but if there are migrants who refuse to leave, or NGOs who cause trouble, the police might be forced to intervene."

A helicopter flew overheard this morning as scores of CRS riot squad vans surrounded the perimeter of the camp.

Water cannon have been positioned outside the camp.

Police and social workers asked migrants queuing to bussed to accommodation centres to sit down. Officials said they wanted to avoid jostling and scuffles which broke out on Monday. Some in the queue complained that the ground was muddy.

Almost all of the up to 10,000 migrants who have been living in the squalid camp want to claim asylum and begin a new life in Britain. They have been trying to get aboard ferries and trains illegally.

Migrants have been congregating in the Calais area for more than 20 years, but the French authorities say they are now determined to eradicate all migrants' camps in the region.