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The exhausted officials had already spent months finding thousands of new shelter places for the Jungle’s displaced migrants, and were caught unawares. François Pupponi, the deputy mayor of Sarcelles, a northern Paris suburb, told the French daily Le Parisien he was left “horrified” after finding out that he would have to offer temporary sanctuary to more than 850 Stalingrad migrants. He said: “850 people is just crazy. It’s unreal – I panicked.”

GETTY Paris mayors have been asked to re-home 3,000 refugees

The Socialist mayor, who welcomed 280 refugees in July, said the government’s decision to send hundreds of Stalingrad migrants to Sarcelles was “unfair” and he had been given “less than 24 hours” to prepare for their arrival. He added: “I’m baffled. No other mayor has had such an enormous burden placed on their shoulders. Sarcelles locals are incensed – no one knows when this nightmare will end. Paris officials are sending us the migrants they can’t be bothered to deal with themselves.” All mayors agree the evacuation of the Paris shanty camp was a waste of time, money, and effort.

GETTY Mr Pupponi said the policy would only encourage more migrants to travel to Paris

Mr Pupponi said: “As soon as migrants find out that they will be rehoused in reception centres in the south of France, they will make a beeline for Paris. The Stalingrad camp will be rebuilt within weeks.”

No one knows when this nightmare will end François Pupponi

Grégory Garestier, the right-wing mayor of Maurepas, a south-western suburb of Paris, took in 99 Stalingrad migrants on Friday. Mr Garestier and a group of anti-immigrant locals tried to prevent the migrants from entering the local gym, which had been requisitioned by the government and turned into a temporary refugee centre overnight. He said: “More than 3,000 locals use that gym. I couldn’t let them turn it into a refugee shelter. But I locked horns with government officials and they finally agreed to use the local community centre instead.”

GETTY It was also argued that Paris mayors had been kept in the dark to avoid anti-refugee protests

Riot police begin destroying migrant camps in Paris Mon, October 31, 2016 Overnight fires broke out in many parts of the camp destroying shacks and makeshift shops along the camps main street. Many migrants have left by coach to be relocated at centres across France. Play slideshow 1 of 43