Bernard Cazeneuve said it was not France's fault migrants were crossing

The French have shifted blame for the Calais chaos on to everyone else - lambasting British businesses, Eurotunnel and the Libyan migrant crisis.

Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister, said the operator of the Channel Tunnel was not doing enough on security, and said it was not his country’s fault that so many migrants were coming across the Mediterranean from North Africa.

And former French employment minister Xavier Bertrand said the situation was so acute because UK firms were too ready to employ illegal migrants.

Migrants speak with a truck driver as they walk alongside vehicles on the route leading to the Eurotunnel in Coquelles. It comes as French ministers today shifted blame for the crisis onto the UK and Tunnel operators

He said the British government should shoulder some of the blame because they have refused to introduce identity cards.

Critics accuse the French government of having abrogated its responsibilities over Calais, by not ensuring a strong enough security presence to deter refugees who are attempting to gain entry to Britain through the tunnel.

Former French employment minister Xavier Bertrand said the situation was so acute because UK firms were too ready to employ illegal migrants

Responding to growing pressure, Mr Cazeneuve said France would be reinforcing the means given to securing the border and the Eurotunnel site. He also confirmed that two mobile units, or 120 additional police staff, will be ‘temporarily deployed in Calais in order to contribute to the security of the site’.

But he said the crisis was not of his making – and instead accused Eurotunnel of not doing enough in light of the ‘worsening situation’.

‘In Calais, the state hasn’t stopped assuming its responsibilities of maintaining public order, dismantling immigration networks, keeping foreigners without papers away, and putting into place humanitarian solutions for migrants and asylum seekers,’ he told a press conference.

‘Eurotunnel needs to also assume its responsibilities, notably regarding security.’

A leaked letter from 23 July also emerged in which he reportedly said: ‘In my analysis, the Eurotunnel group, which has jurisdiction of the security, hasn’t made enough effort in light and proportion to the worsening situation.’

He asked the company: ‘I would like you to have a further look at the human resources you are planning on dedicating to securing the site’, saying he believed Eurotunnel has cut its security staff by two-thirds since 2002.

‘In the same timeframe, the state has multiplied its resources by five, and 350 members of the state security police force and police officers work together every day to prevent intrusions.’

Mr Cazeneuve also sought to blame the situation in Libya for the problems, because the failed state is becoming a route across the Mediterranean for thousands of north Africans and people from the Middle East.

He said: ‘This exceptional migrant situation has dramatic human consequences. Calais is a mirror of conflicts tearing up regions of the world.’

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A man climbs onto a truck as dozens of lorries queue as they wait to cross the English Channel in Calais

Lorries queued as part of Operation Stack alongside both carriageways of the M20 in Ashford, Kent, today

Xavier Bertrand, a former French minister who is standing for the Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie area in regional elections, said Britain needed to ‘do more’ to resolve the situation.

‘The English need to understand that having their border situated in Calais causes an enormous problem,’ Mr Bertrand told BBC Radio 4’s World At One.

He said it should be made more difficult for illegal migrants to work in the UK: ‘In England, you are able to work without papers easily. That’s why they want to come to England.

‘You don’t need an identity card to live in England, that’s why English employers use immigrants and why we’ve got this particular problem in Calais.’

Theresa May admitted that some of the 1,500 migrants who stormed the Channel Tunnel last night have already reached Britain. Pictured: Lorries queue on the north and southbound carriageways of the M20 today

Mrs May has urged teams building a new security fence at Coquelles to speed up their work to help relieve problems on both sides of the border, including on the M20 in Kent where lorries continue to queue (pictured)

Mr Bertrand added: ‘In Calais, it’s a human drama which is taking place every day. Only a naval blockade at the Libyan coast could provide a solution.

‘The UK has responsibility in this matter too. England allows these migrants to work without papers. The English border must be at Dover and not Calais.’

Chairman of Eurotunnel, Jacques Gounon, hit back – telling French radio station France Info that the company had invested considerable sums to shore up security.

‘This isn’t a case of a passenger not paying for their ticket, we are facing systematic and massive invasions, maybe even organised ones,’ he said. ‘This is a problem of numbers, it’s not a problem of quality, it’s a problem of quantity.

‘Regardless of the huge investment we have made and are continuing to make to protect the boarding paths, there’s a problem of quantity (of policing) when you consider the size of the first trans-Channel operator which is the Channel Tunnel.’

Migrants attempt to cross a road near the Eurotunnel in Coquelles, near Calais, France, earlier today

Trucks continue to remain stuck in queues as they wait outside the blocked entrance to the Eurotunnel

French minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the operator of the Channel Tunnel was not using enough security

Natacha Bouchart, mayor of Calais, called for a summit involving ministers from France and Britain, Eurotunnel, the ports, and the municipality of Calais.

Speaking on radio station France Info this morning, she said: ‘It’s simply a global hypocrisy that doesn’t want to tackle the problems and the consequences of a decision of a European country that has different rules and which therefore must accept to change and to find acceptable solutions for all.’

It came as Theresa May admitted that some of the 1,500 migrants who stormed the Channel Tunnel last night have already reached Britain.

The Home Secretary refused to say how many had arrived in the UK to claim asylum - or avoided being caught - as she dodged questions on whether she would bring in the army to get a grip on the crisis.

It was claimed up to 100 people managed to get to Britain overnight in the latest security breach which saw a Sudanese man in his 20s crushed to death by a lorry as he tried to get underneath a train.

Mrs May has urged teams building a new security fence at Coquelles to speed up their work, as David Cameron has refused to 'point fingers of blame' at the French authorities for the problem.

Mrs May this morning convened the emergency Cobra committee to secure assurances from police, border staff and security advisers that the problem can be contained.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage has called for troops to be sent in and one Tory MP accused the French authorities of being too 'lax' about security.

But Mrs May side-stepped calls to ask the army to get involved. Asked if the military should be used, the Home Secretary said: 'This is about ensuring we get that security fencing up, it's about working with Eurotunnel to ensure we have got the best measures in place.'

Home Secretary Theresa May, pictured in Downing Street this morning, said some of the 1,500 migrants who stormed the Channel Tunnel last night have reached Britain

Keith Vaz, chairman of the home affairs select committee, claimed that after 2,000 people tried to storm the Channel Tunnel on Monday night, he saw 148 had reached Folkestone in Kent.

And after last night's incursion, a British source told the AFP news agency: 'It was over 100 on a number of trains. It's an unusually high number, normally it's a handful or zero.'

Not all will have been caught, enabling them to travel anywhere in the country.

Speaking at the Home Office, Mrs May said: 'A number of people have come through. We will be dealing with anybody's asylum claim in the normal way as we always do.

'But crucially what we are looking at now is improving security at the railhead at Coquelles, so we can ensure people are not trying to come through the tunnel.

David Cameron has refused to 'point fingers of blame' at the French authorities after another 1,500 illegal immigrants last night stormed the Tunnel

'That means some urgent work in government but also with Eurotunnel, and Eurotunnel has a role to play here in the measures they themselves put in place to protect their trains.'

'What we are seeing at the railhead at Coquelles is, as we are putting extra security fencing in, there have been migrants particularly trying to get into the Eurotunnel and on to the trains before that security fencing is going up.

'One of the outcomes of the meeting today was some more urgent work with Government departments but also with Eurotunnel on further measures can be taken at Coquelles to prevent people from getting into the tunnel.'

It came as operator Eurotunnel revealed it has blocked more than 37,000 people attempting to cross into the UK this year.

The start of the school summer holidays has coincided with a dramatic escalation of attempts to storm the tunnel by migrants desperate to reach Britain.

In the latest attempt to lay siege to the Channel Tunnel, 1,500 people tried to reach high speed trains.

The man who died was hit by a lorry which was preparing to drive on to a train.

It follows an intrusion on Monday night by 2,000 migrants who poured through holes in security fencing and tried to clamber aboard Eurotunnel services bound for England.

Two migrants were admitted to hospital in Calais after being hit by high-speed trains as they tried to enter the tunnel.

Seven others had to be saved from drowning after falling into a concrete water collection basin near the tunnel entrance.

Mr Vaz said Britain and France need to work together to solve the problem and he commended the Government for committing funds.

But he told BBC News: 'At the end of the day, I'm afraid, sending an extra 140 police officers into Calais is not going to solve the problem.

'Every single day more than 1,500 migrants are trying to storm the Channel Tunnel into the freight area.

'I went to Kent yesterday and I saw 148 of them who had made the journey and who were delighted because they had been successful in coming here, having evaded all this security, they actually managed to come here so unless you do two things we are not going to solve this crisis.'

Migrants walk on a road outside the Eurotunnel area, in Calais on Wednesday night as the authorities struggle to contain attempts to reach Britain

Mr Vaz said migrants need to be returned to their country origin once they have no right to stay in France, adding the EU has a responsibility to help Greece and Italy by stopping people crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa.

He also said migrants want to come to Britain as they believe they can work illegally.

As the problems intensified, Eurotunnel revealed that since the arrival of migrants in the area around Calais, it has invested more than £113 million, including £9.2 million in the first six months of 2015.

It includes extra money on fences, cameras, infra-red detectors - and personnel. Security patrol staff has been doubled to reach 200 employees, including sniffer dog patrols.

A spokesman said: 'To support the efforts of law enforcement in the Calais area, Eurotunnel has also provided buses to the authorities to enable them to remove any migrants intercepted.'

The company stressed that it has kept the Intergovernmental Commission for the Channel Tunnel and authorities informed, over several months, about the 'explosion' in the number of migrants present in Calais.

'Since 1 January 2015, Eurotunnel has, using its own resources, discretely intercepted more than 37,000 migrants, who have been handed over to the law enforcement authorities, and has registered thousands of complaints, all of which have been filed with no further action by the procureur (legal official) of the court in Boulogne.

'The continuous pressure exerted every night is above and beyond that which a concessionaire can reasonably handle and requires a constructive and appropriate response from the governments.

'In this context, Eurotunnel and its employees, who hold to their task despite the psychological pressure that weighs on them, continue to guarantee a rapid and safe Channel crossing for its millions of customers.'

At least 2200 illegal migrants tried to storm the Channel Tunnel in a bid to reach Britain from France. These migrants were pictured walking along tracks at the Eurotunnel terminal in Calais-Frethun today

The British government must walk a diplomatic tightrope with the French, who they need to continue to allow Britain to carry out border checks on French soil.

Any decision by the French to rip up the so-called 'juxtaposed controls' would make it far easier for migrants to reach Britain and claim asylum.

Speaking on a visit to Singapore, Mr Cameron said: 'There's no point trying to point fingers and point fingers of blame.

'It's about working with the French, putting in place this additional security measures, adding in the investment where that's needed.

'Britain will always come forward that we know how important his is and the Home Secretary will be coordinating this this morning.'

I can't believe they would be that lax in protecting an airport or another sensitive facility Folkestone MP Damian Collins

Whitehall insiders are nervous that - with 5,000 migrants massed in and around Calais - the situation could deteriorate further over the summer months.

Katja Hall, deputy director general of the CBI, said: 'While clearly hampering holidaymakers, the disruption at Calais also has an economic impact as exporters are being delayed getting their goods to market.

'We urge both the UK and French Governments and all those involved to work quickly to resolve the situation and maintain clear routes.'

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said that France would be reinforcing the means given to securing the border and the Eurotunnel site.

He also confirmed that two mobile units, or 120 additional police staff, will be 'temporarily deployed in Calais in order to contribute to the security of the site'.

Mr Cazeneuve also called on Eurotunnel to address security issues, adding: 'In Calais, the state hasn't stopped assuming its responsibilities of maintaining public order, dismantling (immigration) networks, keeping foreigners without papers away, and putting into place humanitarian solutions for migrants and asylum seekers.

'Eurotunnel needs to also assume its responsibilities, notably regarding security,' he told a press conference.

Migrants who successfully crossed the Eurotunnel terminal walk on the side of the railroad as they try to reach a shuttle to Britain

It was also announced that the total number of migrants who have died trying to cross the channel since June 26, has risen to nine.

Labour's acting leader Harriet Harman said: 'This is not just a problem in Calais now, it is a major problem in Kent as well.

'The government have failed to get it sorted out and as a result people who have worked all year for their holidays are now stuck in traffic jams without information and it is having a big economic impact on the road haulage industry too.

'What the government should be doing is getting the French to process the 3,500 to 4,000 people who are massed at Calais and need to be documented. Either they are genuine asylum-seekers who should be given asylum or they should be deported.

'The government should have got on to this months earlier.'

It came as the Government revealed lorry drivers caught up in the Calais delays will be allowed to drive for longer and rest for a shorter amount time.

The temporary relaxation of EU rules means they will be limited to driving 11 hours a day rather than nine hours, with the daily rest requirement cut from 11 hours to nine hours.

The changes come into force from 12:01am on Thursday, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.

They will run for 30 days at the times when Operation Stack is in place, the department added.

A graphic showing how the migrant camp in Calais is just a few hundred metres from the ferry and Eurotunnel terminals, giving asylum seekers prime position to try to sneak into Britain

THERESA MAY ANNOUNCES £7MILLION SECURITY BOOST Britain has agreed to provide an extra £7million for security in Calais Britain has agreed to provide an extra £7million towards efforts to tackle the Calais migrant crisis, Theresa May has announced. The money will be used to step up security at the Channel Tunnel railhead in Coquelles. Earlier this week it was reported that police were being called to the terminal, which is close to Calais, on a nightly basis to deal with incursions by hundreds of migrants. The Home Secretary disclosed the extra funding following a meeting between British and French officials to discuss the continuing disruption. She said: 'We've had a very constructive meeting. The French and UK governments are working in close collaboration and cooperation on this issue which affects us both. 'We are both clear that we need to ensure we are dealing with the terrible criminal gangs, the people smugglers, who are making a profit out of the human misery of many people.' Mrs May said French authorities have committed extra resources to security at Calais. Asked why British taxpayers should be paying for a problem taking place on French soil, she said: 'We have juxtaposed controls at the border. We work together on dealing with this particular problem.' Advertisement

Mrs May last night promised to spend another £7million of taxpayers' money on new security fencing to protect the Channel Tunnel railhead at Coquelles.

The money is in addition to the £12million to be spent on bolstering security at Calais.

The Home Secretary made the pledge after holding crisis talks in London with her French counterparts, who are under huge pressure to do more to control the migrants.

Mr Cameron added: 'We're working very closely with the French. We've invested money in the fencing around Calais. We're also putting fencing around the entrance to the tunnel at Coquelles. So we're doing everything we can.'

The Foreign Office has urged people to avoid Calais after striking French workers added to the chaos.

Anyone intending to travel home via the French port may have to find another route back instead.

Anyone who had to travel through the French port was told to keep their vehicle doors locked because of the 'large number of illegal migrants' trying to reach the UK.

Mr Cameron said: 'I have every sympathy with holidaymakers who are finding access to Calais difficult because of the disturbances there.

'We'll do everything we can to work with the French to bring these things to a conclusion, but it's not a satisfactory situation.'

Damian Collins, the Conservative MP for Folkestone, suggested that the French authorities were failing to provide tight security in Calais.

'They have allowed people willingly to break into the Channel Tunnel site. I can't believe they would be that lax in protecting an airport or another sensitive facility.

'But that has happened constantly throughout the summer. They have to enforce their own restrictions.'

Mr Collins added: 'This is happening within France. We have a role to play in supporting the situation and it is in our interests too. Not only is what's going on there tragic and involving a loss of life but it has terrible consequences for Kent.

'But principally, this is French territory. I can't believe we would allow this situation to occur within the United Kingdom - I can't remember an incident at the Channel Tunnel site in Folkestone where people, be they strikers or migrants, have broken into the site and entered secure areas.

'The French government needs to put more of its own resources into defending the tunnel and the port.'

Mr Farage, the Ukip leader, suggested the armed forces should be deployed to make the area secure.

He told LBC: 'In all civil emergencies like this we have an army, we have a bit of a TA and we have a very very overburdened police force and border agency.

'If in a crisis to make sure we've actually got the manpower to check lorries coming in to stop people illegally coming to Britain if in those circumstances we can use the army or other forces then why not.'

Travellers are once again facing major delays on the Eurotunnel due to further migrant activity at the terminal

Lorries are once again being parked on the M20 as police reintroduced emergency closures – known as Operation Stack – while Channel Tunnel trains suffered further disruption

A spokesman for motoring group the RAC Foundation said it was 'hard to see where this will end'.

Philip Gomm said: 'The TV pictures of queues in Kent might suggest this is a little local difficulty, but it has become a problem which is impacting the UK supply chain, and is affecting the travel decisions of people hundreds of miles away from south east England.

'Matters need to be treated with the urgency they deserve.'

Earlier this month, MPs were told that one migrant is caught every three minutes trying to sneak into Britain.

The Home Office said 11,300 stowaways had been captured in a three-week period from June 21.

Some 8,100 illegal migrants were stopped in France by British immigration officers at Calais while security staff discovered another 3,200 in trucks trying to sneak through the Channel Tunnel.