
Thousands of British holidaymakers have been caught up in a summer of chaos in France, running the gauntlet of migrants, road blockades and wildfires at campsites.

And as if that wasn’t enough, farmers have now begun spraying manure over cars in protest at falling food prices.

In the latest mass security breach in Calais, another 1,500 migrants – including one who was crushed to death by a lorry – stormed the Channel Tunnel overnight in a desperate attempt to reach Britain.

The dead migrant, a Sudanese man in his 20s or early 30s, slipped as he tried to get underneath a train inside the high-security zone surrounding the undersea link.

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Chaos in France: Farmers have launched a protest in the east of France, spraying unsuspecting cars with waves of manure and forcing the closure of the A31 highway due to falling food prices

He was hit by a lorry which was preparing to drive on to the train and is thought to have died instantly, according to a police source in Calais who said hundreds of officers were involved in a second night of massive intrusions.

It comes after 2,200 migrants tried to gain entry to Eurotunnel's French terminal on Monday, causing chaos for holidaymakers and freight traffic on both sides of the Channel.

Prime Minister David Cameron has promised that the Government 'will do everything we can' to improve the situation.

Home Secretary Theresa May has also announced that Britain had agreed to provide an extra £7million towards security as she prepared to chair an emergency Cobra civil contingency committee to deal with the growing crisis.

The escalating crisis has also led to calls for the army to be drafted in to help search vehicles coming into Britain for illegal immigrants.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage 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.'

Tourists faced serious delays throughout much of the day following yesterday's incursion attempt, with passengers held up for around an hour on the British side and 30 minutes on the French side.

Local authorities were unable to say whether any of the migrants were hurt in the attempt, although a French police source denied that there were as many as 2,000 involved.

Traffic jams: Holidaymakers have faced hours of motorway queues throughout the summer, before they even make it out of the country due to chaotic migrant activity at Calais

Explosive: Water planes fly over the Var region forest, which firefighters have warned today is at a 'very severe' risk of more fires

Blaze: Firefighters brought the flames under control last night and tourists have been returned to their campsites, but the area is still on high alert

Since the beginning of June, eight migrants have died trying to enter the tunnel.

Two migrants were taken to hospital in Calais yesterday after being hit by high-speed trains as they tried to enter Britain through the Channel Tunnel.

Seven others were saved from drowning at around the same time after falling into a concrete water collection basin near the Tunnel entrance.

Reports of their perilous attempts came as holidaymakers faced travel misery yet again yesterday after the latest migrant chaos triggered huge delays on the Eurotunnel, with estimates putting waiting times at an hour in both directions.

Operation Stack – which saw the closure of Junctions 8 to 11 of the M20 motorway – ended on Sunday, but queues have been extremely slow to start moving again.

But when they finally enter France, things only seem to get worse for Britain’s holidaymakers.

Scorching temperatures and summer winds have spread wildfires tearing through the countryside, with the worst hit region being Var, in the south.

Woodland campsites near the popular Riviera seaside resort of Frejus underwent emergency evacuations yesterday, with more than 10,000 tourists fleeing the approaching flames.

Terror: Up to 10,000 holidaymakers - including Britons on their summer holidays - have been evacuated after a huge wildfire swept through forests near campsites in the south of France

Panic: Around 5,500 fled one campsite after 15ft flames suddenly swept through woodland nearby

Blaze: Hundreds of firefighters tackled the inferno today as planes were used to drop water on the fire

Dan Rainford, a 36-year-old Briton, said he was forced to flee the campsite with his wife Louise, children and other family members.

Mr Rainford described the horror of watching the 15-feet-high flames approach with his family.

‘Suddenly we were being told to get out,’ said Mr Rainford, of Stone, Staffordhire.

‘They said “Grab your cars, grab your passports if you’ve got them and just go – forget your clothes”.

‘We were sent to the emergency exit – but it was complete bedlam. There were thousands of people trying to do the same thing.’

Around 3,000 people are also said to have been evacuated from Holiday Green campsite in the town, as well as 1,500 from Pierre Verte.

Inferno: The fierce blaze destroyed 30 hectares of trees near Frejus, not far from Cannes in southern France

Mobilised: Water planes and firetrucks were sent out to help fight the fires as they swept through the Var region forest yesterday

Darren West, 48, told The Local that he only noticed something was wrong moments before the massive flames suddenly arrived at the Pin de la Lègue site on the outskirts of Frejus.

He said: 'The speed was the most shocking thing. There was smoke in the air and then almost immediately we saw flames that were 15 feet high right by the main gate of the campsite.

'There was a gridlock - and that's when the panic and anxiety kicked in. We saw several caravans on fire as we drove away.'

Mr West described a scene of panic as the park's 5,500 tourists were rushed out of the campsite, with many leaving behind their belongings as they fled in their cars.

Authorities said that 300 firefighters and 90 vehicles were mobilised to fight yesterday’s blazes, which destroyed 19 hectares of land and 40 mobile homes.

Battle: Firefighters douse an area near a campsite following the wildfire near Frejus, not far from Cannes

Charred: Around 400 firefighters contained the wildfires in the Var department of southern France last night

At risk: The wildfires have swept through woodland near Frejus, in the Var department of southern France

All those who were evacuated yesterday returned to their campsites last night after the blazes were brought under control.

Daniel Damia, manager of the Holiday Green site, told MailOnline: ‘Everything is until control, as of 8pm last night. We only have a few mobile homes that were completely burnt but everyone is still on site and everyone has a mobile home.

‘Activities have restarted as of 10am this morning, and everyone is completely safe.’

He added that the campsite will be watching firefighters’ alerts carefully over the coming days to ensure their holidaymakers are safe.

A spokesman for the Pin de la Legue site confirmed that no one at the site was hurt and that everything is back under control this morning.

All those who had been evacuated are back on the site with accommodation, he added.

But firefighters have today warned that more fires are ‘inevitable’, while issuing ‘very severe’ risk warnings for most of the Var region.

Warning: Var region emergency services tweeted a map detailing the areas most at risk of further fires. Six of the region's nine zones have received warnings of a 'very severe' risk

Destroyed: British holidaymakers told of their terror as the flames suddenly engulfed caravans

Spark: It is not clear what started the fire at this stage, but a drought across the region this summer may have played a part

Wreckage: A firefighter stands among the debris after the fire left a scene of devastation near a campsite

The Var firefighters organisation tweeted a map showing the most ‘at risk’ areas, with six of the regions nine zones highlighted in red, for ‘very severe’.

These include the Iles d’Hyeres, Esterel, Maures and Central Var.

The Haut-Var and Sainte-Baume regions both have severe warnings, and the Plateau de Canjuers area has a moderate warning.

President Francois Hollande – who visited Var yesterday – has warned that France must remain vigilant in the face of warnings, as forest fires are most often caused by ‘inadvertence, negligence and stupidity’.

Another fire, which began on Friday to the west of Bordeaux, saw more than 1,000 homes evacuated.

More than 2,000 migrants tried to force their way into the Channel Tunnel overnight, according to operator Eurotunnel, as more than 5,000 people camp out around Calais waiting for an opportunity to enter the UK. Above, migrants try to cross the Channel last week

On the rampage: Farmers block the A31 highway, eastern France, during a demonstration against falling food prices, joining in the summer of complete chaos in France

Flaming: Farmers used piles of flaming tyres and convoys of tractors to block the main highways in the eastern Moselle region

Down in the dumps: Protesting farmers left trailer loads of steaming manure outside supermarkets, which it blames for food-price trouble

Two people have been arrested on suspicion of causing the blaze, which was also brought under control last night.

Several smaller fires broke out yesterday across southern France, with firetrucks and water bombers being mobilised to fight the spread of flames.

Fires in Bandol, Bauduen and Cadiere d’Azur – all in the Var area of the Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur region – each burned several hectares of land.

Meanwhile in the east of the country, farmers have begun spraying unsuspecting cars with waves of manure in protest at the falling price of food.

Protesters have blocked the main roads in the eastern Moselle region, blaming foreign competition, supermarkets and distributors for their strife.

Up in arms: Farmers unload tires and hay during a protest in front of a Buffalo Grill restaurant in Metz today