Labour accuse him of trying to 'whip people up' rather than deal with crisis saying: 'These are people not insects'

David Cameron today blamed the crisis at Calais on the 'swarm of people' crossing the Mediterranean

Around 4,000 people have got through to tunnel and tried to jump on to passing trains but nine have been killed

Sudanese man was killed on Tuesday while an Egyptian migrant was electrocuted jumping on to Eurostar in Paris

Critics demand Britain sends in the Army to help with Calais crisis as m igrants continue to besiege French town

Dramatic new images show hundreds of migrants clashing with police as they stormed the tunnel for a third night


David Cameron was today accused of losing control of the Calais crisis and leaving it to the French as panicked Gendarmerie were again overwhelmed by hundreds of desperate migrants who laid siege to the Channel Tunnel for the third night running.

Around 4,000 people have stormed fences and desperately tried to clamber on trains bound for Kent in the past three days - a deadly gamble that has allowed at least 150 to get to Britain but also claimed the lives of nine people.

Migrants have said that watching their friends die will not stop them trying to get to the UK with one saying: 'It's England or death'.

Today French police said an Egyptian man is in a critical condition after being electrocuted when he tried to climb on to the roof of a Eurostar train in Paris, suggesting migrants may be now trying to get through the tunnel away from Calais.

Last night migrants were still easily breaching the 15 mile fence surrounding the Channel Tunnel as senior MPs, backed by hauliers, demanded the British Army should be sent in to restore order because the French authorities had 'lost control'.

David Cameron today blamed the crisis at Calais on the 'swarm of people' crossing the Mediterranean but Harriet Harman accused him of trying to whip people up against the migrants saying: 'He should remember he is talking about people, not insects'.

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Losing battle: Heavily outnumbered French police try to stop a migrant trying to get to the Channel Tunnel yesterday and are now using tear gas to repel them. Critics demanded the Prime Minister get a grip on the situation where 4,000 have laid siege in the past three days

Pack mentality: The migrants are overwhelming police as they rush the Channel Tunnel in huge numbers last night as they desperately try to board trains knowing police are unlikely to chase them on the railway tracks

Overwhelmed: A panicked French policeman watched in despair as huge numbers of men and women rush past as they try to get access to the Channel Tunnel yesterday evening

Trespassing: Using clothes tied together to clamber up a fence this man managed to pull himself up and over through a gap in barbed wire in the early hours of today but some fencing has been described as being as flimsy as a chicken coop

PM SLAMMED IN 'SWARM' ROW David Cameron sparked a major political row today after describing hundreds of migrants in Calais as a 'swarm'. Labour's acting leader Harriet Harman said the Prime Minister should remember he is talking about 'people, not insects' as tensions mounted over the government's response to the crisis. But political opponents accused him of 'dog-whistle' politics and the Refugee Council condemned the 'awful, dehumanising language'. The row erupted after Mr Cameron sought to insist the government was taking action to deal with the crisis in Calais. Speaking in Vietnam during his south-east Asian tour, the Prime Minister said the French had sent an extra 120 police and the UK was investing in fencing and security measures at the Channel crossings in Calais and Coquelles. Acting Labour leader Harriet Harman said the Prime Minister appeared to want to whip people up against the migrants. She told BBC News: 'He should remember he is talking about people, not insects'. Labour leadership contender Andy Burnham wrote on Twitter: 'Cameron calling Calais migrants a 'swarm' is nothing short of disgraceful. Confirms there's no dog-whistle these Bullingdon Boys won't blow.' Ukip leader Nigel Farage also tried to distance himself from the term, suggesting it was part of an effort by Mr Cameron to appear 'tough' on immigration. Asked if he would use the word 'swarm', Mr Farage told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'No. No, I'm not seeking to use language like that. But barely an hour earlier, Mr Farage had used the term himself, telling ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'A couple of times I've been stuck on the motorway surrounded by swarms of potential migrants to Britain.' The Refugee Council described Mr Cameron's remark as 'awful, dehumanising language from a world leader'. Advertisement

The Prime Minister vowed to do 'everything we can' to stop people's holidays been disrupted by the chaos, adding: 'This is very testing, I accept that, because you have got a swarm of people coming across the Mediterranean, seeking a better life, wanting to come to Britain because Britain has got jobs, it's got a growing economy, it's an incredible place to live.

'But we need to protect our borders by working hand in glove with our neighbours the French and that is exactly what we are doing.'

The Channel Tunnel might need to be closed permanently to stop migrants reaching Britain from Calais, Nigel Farage has suggested.

The Ukip leader said 'it is always possible isn't it' when asked if closing the link between Britain and France, either temporarily or permanently, was a possible solution to the crisis.

He also said he would 'not use language like that' after Mr Cameron described the migrants as a 'swarm' and condemned the Prime Minister's 'warm words'.

He told MailOnline: 'I am so used to everything being too little, too late from him. I need to see how we are going to stop 150 estimated illegal immigrants coming in every single night.

'And how is he going to change the process where only one in four of those who are caught are ever sent back?

'In five years of Tory government, none of this has improved. Words are fine but what is he actually going to do?'

'The Prime Minister is this morning trying to sound tough, whether he means it or not is another question.'

Earlier Mr Farage said on Good Morning Britain : 'A couple of times I've been stuck on the motorway surrounded by swarms of potential migrants to Britain'

On BBC Radio 4, asked about Cameron describing migrants as a 'swarm', Farage said: 'I'm not seeking to use language like that.'

Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the Prime Minister's attempts at diplomacy with the French government 'isn't working'.

She added: 'Still not enough is being done to stop a difficult situation becoming desperate.

'We need far more action from the French Government to assess people arriving in France, to prevent people reaching Calais in the first place and to police the roads where lorries are targets.

'And that means British ministers need to be putting on maximum diplomatic pressure and working closely to get the response from France and other European countries'.

Last night a gang of around 800 to 1,000 migrants stormed the Tunnel perimeter - taking the total to almost 4,000 who got on to the tracks since Monday night - and at least 150 are known to have made it to Britain.

Authorities were only able to arrest around 300 present at the site overnight, and many are simply just returned to their camp outside Calais.

Meanwhile there is mayhem on the British side of the Channel with thousands of lorries backed up in Kent queuing in Operation Stack. For 24 of the past 40 days, the coast-bound side of the M20 has been closed bringing misery to residents, businesses and holidaymakers.

As he faces major criticism of his handling of the crisis, speaking in Vietnam the Prime Minister said he was working to improve border security as well as deporting more illegal immigrants who manage to cross the Channel.

He said: 'This is very testing, I accept that. You have got a swarm of people coming across the Mediterranean, seeking a better life, wanting to come to Britain because Britain has got jobs, it's got a growing economy, it's an incredible place to live.

'But we need to protect our borders by working hand in glove with our neighbours the French and that is exactly what we are doing.'

It comes as one 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 in the early hours of yesterday morning when 1,500 attempted to get across.

On Monday night, more than 2,000 illegal immigrants tried to break through the Tunnel entrance, prompting an urgent security review which saw more than 120 police officers drafted in to secure the terminals.

Yesterday, Home Secretary Theresa May admitted for the first time that illegal migrants were getting into Britain.

THE DEADLY PATH TO BRITAIN: HOW DESPERATE MIGRANTS ADMIT 'IT'S ENGLAND OR DEATH' FOR THEM AS WAVE AFTER WAVE RUSH TRAINS AND LORRIES HEADING THROUGH THE CHANNEL TUNNEL A graphic showing how the migrant camp in Calais, northern France, is on the other side of the town and every day they either walk, cycle or hitchhike a few miles to try again to sneak across into Britain. Some are also trying to Calais migrants are willing to risk their lives every day to get to Britain by jumping on to high speed trains rushing into the Channel Tunnel. Around 5,000 are living in desperate conditions in the 'New Jungle' camp outside the French town and one admitted yesterday: 'It's England of death for me' as MailOnline can reveal in detail the route they take to the Tunnel. Each night migrants walk, hitchhike and even cycle from their camps in Calais to the port, or to the Tunnel entrance, where they try to board lorries on trains. First large groups, outnumbering the police, sprint past police to try to avoid being detained. They then either climb through holes in flimsy fencing or used old clothes tied together to form a makeshift rope and climb over. Police tend to guard gates around the perimeter rather than along the fence. Onlookers say the groups who get through then scatter widely across the railway tracks, some heading towards the tunnel entrance and others towards the Eurotunnel terminal. Those who stay near the tunnel entrance will then wait for either Eurostar or Le Shuttle trains to slow down or stop to enter the tunnel. They then either fling themselves on to the side as they pass or climb on as it slows down. At the Eurotunnel terminal gangs will target lorries queuing to be loaded on to trains. A witness told MailOnline the migrants go from vehicle to vehicle trying the back doors or trying to climb under them to see if they can cling on under it. Police will sometimes pull them away but rarely remove them from the area completely, meaning they can then try again. Once on board a train the migrants either jump off as the train enters Britain and try to flee or in other cases wait to be arrested in Folkestone so they can try to claim asylum. Advertisement

Breach: Migrants climb over a flimsy fence near train tracks as they join hundreds of others attempting to access the Channel Tunnel near Calais yesterday

Enforcement: Home Secretary Theresa May called for an urgent security review, following a meeting of the Cobra civil contingency committee as migrants stormed Calais and a new fence is also being built around the Tunnel

Incursion: Migrants have admitted they are willing to die to get to Britain as this man leaps from the top of the fence to try to get close to the trains last night

Night attempt: A gang look for gaps or weak points in the fencing this morning as they try to get to the UK with some saying they accept it's 'England or death'

Stand-off: Migrants clash with French police today as a new attempt was made to rush to Tunnel, although in the past month nine people have been killed attempting to cross the Channel

Rush: Police chase a group through a ditch and across a dual carriageway as they fail to keep control of the chaotic situation in Calais yesterday

Overwhelmed: A police officer watches helplessly as a group of migrants trying to reach the Channel Tunnel sprint past him last night

Labour MP Keith Vaz said that during one visit to Kent he had seen 148 migrants 'delighted' to have made it to the UK. On a day of drama:

Eurotunnel said it had intercepted a staggering 37,000 migrants and was being subjected to 'systematic invasions'

The M20 in Kent was once again turned into a lorry park, delaying holidaymakers heading for France

Hauliers warned of huge losses to exports and increases in food prices

As David Cameron used his Far East trip to preach against slave labour, the French said the migrant crisis was caused by foreigners coming to work in appalling conditions in Britain's black economy.

A French policeman patrolling the motorway near the Eurotunnel terminal said yesterday: 'We are completely overwhelmed. It just gets worse and worse.

'At the Channel Tunnel terminal all we can do is pick them up and then drop them off a few hundred metres away. We can't lock them up.'

Tory MP Andrew Percy said last night: 'The situation is now clearly out of control and it is clear that the current arrangements are not working and that the French are unable to guard against these infringements of our border.

'It is time we considered more radical options, including the use of the Army. The British people expect our border to be secure and the Government must do whatever it takes to achieve this.'

Former immigration minister Damian Green said the UK government had resisted the temptation to criticise the French because they could tear up the agreement which means the border is on French soil.

He told MailOnline: 'In the end it's happening in France so the French have to be the effective authority. I think the British government has taken the no-doubt sensible decision that just shouting at the French may not achieve anything.

'The single biggest protection we have is our border is in France. If the French took that away we would be seeing those scenes in Kent - although the situation is terrible at the moment it could be much worse.'

The MP for Ashford added: 'The French appear to be getting the point that this can't carry on.

'They clearly have the capacity to protect the terminal if they have got the will to do so. Having said they are going to send more riot police in, we will know over the next couple of days whether they mean it or not.'

Brazen: A migrant crawls through a hole in a fence near near train tracks yesterday as he attempts to access the Channel Tunnel in Frethun, near Calais, France, hours after another migrant died while trying to get across

Bold: A migrant crawls through a tiny gap as dusk falls over Calais last night, before a perilous walk along a railway track to reach the Tunnel

A migrant makes his way through the tiny gap (left) to follow other people with hopes of crossing into the UK (right) despite security being stepped up

Migrants cover their faces and pull up their hoods as they enter the Channel Tunnel terminus through a hole in a fence at Calais Freuthan

Officers: France has sent in an extra 120 police officers to secure the terminals as Eurotunnel revealed it had now blocked more than 37,000 such attempts since January

Migrants who made it past the Channel Tunnel security fences at Calais yesterday head for the tunnel entrance to try to board a train to Britain. It came as MPs claimed the UK needed to send the Army in to help

Desperate: Women wrapped in scarves scramble over the fence before they try to catch a train to reach England, in Calais, France, yesterday

Migrants walk on a road outside the Eurotunnel in Calais as the authorities struggle to contain the situation where night after night groups rush the Tunnel

At least 2,200 illegal migrants have so far tried to storm the Channel Tunnel in a bid to reach Britain from France. These migrants were seen walking along tracks at the Eurotunnel terminal in Calais on Tuesday

As the Port of Dover said the disruption at Calais was costing the UK £250million a day in lost trade, the Road Haulage Association said the French army should be deployed, with support from the British.

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

Chief executive Richard Burnett said: 'It has become clear that the French authorities in Calais simply cannot cope. This has become an untenable situation.'

Sir Gerald Howarth, a former defence minister, said: 'If we have another episode like we had last night, the authorities will have to consider closing the Tunnel. If we need to close it, we should close it. We can't go on like this.'

The Tory MP added: 'This crisis and immigration in general will dominate the EU referendum. We must take back control of immigration.'

There was also growing fury in Westminster at the inadequate response of the French, who MPs accuse of ushering the migrants towards the UK.

Former minister Tim Loughton said the French were 'culpable' for allowing migrants to storm the Tunnel in order to 'make a European problem a British problem'.

He told the BBC: 'There is no advantage and no justification for the French to allow 5,000 people with little grounds for being in the UK to gather at Calais. And when they are detained for trying to get in the Tunnel, they are let go two miles out of the town so they can try again and again and again.

'The situation is not going to improve while that nonsense carries on.'

But despite the rising anger among Tory backbenchers, Mr Cameron and Home Secretary Mrs May refused to criticise the French Government.

They are afraid that the Hollande Government might rip up treaties which allow the UK to carry out border checks on French soil.

In Vietnam, Mr Cameron – who ordered a meeting of the emergency COBRA committee yesterday after being shocked by the coverage of the chaos unfolding in Calais – advised against 'trying to point fingers of blame'.

Senior Whitehall sources last night played down prospect of the Army being deployed in either France or the UK. Instead, contingency plans are focusing on trying to ease the pressure on the M20, which had 3,600 lorries queuing on it yesterday.

The Home Office is working with the French authorities to send more of the West African migrants massed at Calais back home. This could include the use of joint removal flights. Mrs May refused to say how many migrants had entered the UK, but conceded: 'A number of people have come through. We will be dealing with anybody's asylum claim in the normal way as we always do.'

When asked if the military should be used, she 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.'

France said last night it was sending extra police officers to Calais.

No fear: Migrants say they do not fear the police or the dangerous route to Britain because of the dangerous countries they have come from

Breakthrough: Migrants who managed to rush the police road block outside the Eurotunnel site run towards the boarding area

Battle: Last night around 800 to 1,000 people tried to get past police but only around one in three were arrested in the chaos

Among the migrants was Mohammad Al-Mohammad, 26, from Aleppo, Syria, who said he graduated in English literature from the city's university before the civil war left it in ruins.

Speaking good English, he said that he wanted to carry on studying for a masters degree in the UK, where he claimed his brother was living.

He said he had walked and hitchhiked from a refugee camp in Turkey, through Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Austria and Italy before arriving in France three months ago.

He said: 'I have tried maybe nine or 10 times to get to the tunnel but I have failed.

'I have come here for many reasons. The Syrian regime wanted me for military service.

'I graduated from the University of Aleppo after three years and Isis (Islamic State) wanted me to teach the kids (to be) jihadists and I refused.

'When I graduated there was no work because of the war and in the area where I live there is no electricity, no internet, there is nothing because the war has destroyed everything.

'I am seeking peace in the United Kingdom and my brother is there. I ask the United Kingdom authorities to help me to go to him.'

Raihan Jan, 24, a clerk from eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, said that he had travelled first to Iran, then on to Turkey, Greece and Italy before arriving in Calais four days ago.

He told the Press Association: 'We heard that one guy died last night and we know it's very dangerous, but there is not another way to go the UK.

'This is the last chance that we have. We think that the economy is a little bit better in the UK so we will get a chance to have documents and some work.

'Life in our villages is very difficult, we can't live there. I lost an uncle and we lost all our property and home in the war, everything was destroyed.

'I heard that it is also difficult there in the UK but we will try. We are going to try again tonight because last night there were no trains.'

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT: HOW THE UK DEALS WITH MIGRANTS ARRIVING FROM CALAIS THROUGH THE TUNNEL How many migrants are in Calais? Around 5,000 people are now thought to be there which is double the number estimated last autumn. Where have they come from? Most are thought to have arrived from countries including Eritrea, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia and Sudan. How many migrants are making it across the Channel? There have been 4000 attempts to get to the tunnel since Monday. Up to 148 people are thought to have reached Britain. Since the beginning of June more than 400 immigrants have been found hiding in vehicles by British police. That is 15 times the number recorded for the rest of the year. Eurotunnel said it has blocked 37,000 migrants trying to make their way to Britain this year. What happens if they are stopped before they leave Calais? Any migrants who are stopped before attempting to cross are the responsibility of the French. What happens to them if they reach the UK? If illegal immigrants are discovered by police or border force officers there is first a criminal investigation. If the police are not needed the matter is passed on to the home office Then what happens? If immigration officers decide individuals are in the UK illegal and they do not claim asylum they are served with removal notice papers. They can either be detained or bailed before deportation Where are they detained? Most people arriving from Calais go to the immigration removal centre in Dover, Kent, but there are 12 centres around the UK in total. What if someone claims asylum? Immigrants who want to stay in the UK as a refugee can apply for asylum. There were 25,020 asylum applications in the 12 months to March 2015. Advertisement

How the Calais crisis is effecting the British side: Thousands of lorries still backed up for miles on M20 in Kent as part of Operation Stack bringing misery to residents, businesses and holidaymakers

Operation Stack will now continue indefinitely, bringing misery to residents, businesses and holidaymakers because of the chaos in Calais.

For 24 of the past 40 days, the coast bound side of the M20 has been closed.

Police have said that the current chaos is likely to continue into the weekend, providing no respite for residents or Kent businesses which are estimated to be losing £1.5million a day.

The tourism industry is paying a heavy price, too, with Leeds Castle, Dover Castle and Canterbury Cathedral all reporting a drastic drop in visitor numbers.

Meanwhile in Britain.... Trucks again line up as far as the eye can see on the M20 in Kent today as part of Operation Stack, which forces freight vehicles to park on the motorway and wait to be loaded on to ships and trains to France

Stacked: Police have said the mayhem on the M20 in Kent, pictured today, is likely to continue into the weekend, providing no respite for those who live and work in the county. Businesses in the area are estimated to be losing £1.5million a day

Lorries were backed up again today after plans to introduce a contraflow system to ease the burden on the county were ruled out because of safety fears. There were around 3,600 lorries caught up last night alone

Kent Police said yesterday that Operation Stack is expected to last into the weekend.

Highways England rejected the idea of a temporary contraflow system yesterday over concerns about safety.

Freight operatives say that goods are having to be destroyed if migrants have been near them

But a spokesman said they would continue to 'urgently review' other options to ease the congestion.

Kent residents have suffered almost constantly for the last six weeks. This is an 'unprecedented' use of the tactic, according to the Freight Transport Association (FTA).

'It's been a huge inconvenience before' said the FTA's south east policy head Natalie Chapman.

'But the people of Kent and the haulage companies put up with it because it's just for a short time. This year has changed that though.'

Home Secretary Theresa May, who yesterday chaired a Cobra meeting about the crisis, said Operation Stack is being reviewed as it was causing 'real problems' for Kent residents.

She said: 'I know people living in Kent and British holiday makers and road hauliers are facing real issues. The meeting was focusing on making sure we are doing everything we can to reduce the disruption people are feeling.'

Meanwhile life saving drugs destined to help NHS patients in Britain are having to be destroyed over fears they could have been contaminated due to migrants in crisis-torn Calais to get to Britain, it has been claimed.

Pharmaceuticals and medical supplies produced on the continent bound for UK hospitals are being rejected by British suppliers if it is known that migrants have clambered over the cargo after getting into a truck.

It has already been revealed that tonnes of fruit and veg and other valuable goods have been wasted due to fears over contamination by migrants breaking into the back of trailers on roads leading to the Port of Calais and the Channel Tunnel.

But now the Freight Transport Association says it has been told by haulage firms that hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of drugs - including cancer treatments - are also being destroyed.

The FTA says if drugs and supplies bound for Britain's hospitals are in the same vehicle as even one migrant, they have to be written off for fear of contamination.

Deputy Chief Executive at the FTA, James Hookham said: 'Even very high security vehicles including drugs and medical supplies are being compromised.

'Any violation of any cargo renders the whole vehicle unusable and it will not be accepted, it is a tragic shame and not something you want to hear, but no one, and rightly so, will take the risk.

'The goods may look fine on the outside and the inner packaging, but who is going to make that call to say if they are safe once contaminated?'

Flimsy fences that are no barrier: Men, woman and children simply pull themselves through mesh on to the train tracks to begin perilous walk to Channel Tunnel

These flimsy mesh fences – flapping in the evening breeze with gaping holes cut in them – are all that stands between migrants in Calais and passage to the UK.

Behind the supposed security barriers, which are similar to the surrounds of a municipal tennis court, are the Eurotunnel trains the migrants try to stow away on.

Last night, as dusk fell on the railway line, astonishing scenes unfolded. First, young men and then women and children simply pulled themselves through the railside defences and on to the ballast of the tracks.

Breach: Migrants break through a fence near train tracks as they attempt to access the Channel Tunnel near Calais yesterday

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 in the early hours. Pictured, migrants scale the fence

French Gendarmerie watch as migrants cross through the flimsy fences and onto the railway as freight trains and car shuttles lumber by

From there, they face a perilous walk to the Channel Tunnel and their chance of a new life in Britain. The dangers to lives are obvious as freight trains and car shuttles lumber by.

Police union spokesman Gilles Debove said: 'They have nothing to lose – they have travelled thousands of kilometres and they are ready to die on the last stretch if necessary.'

This week the migrants' efforts have reached new levels: two mass assaults in two nights have seen more than 3,500 try to storm the tunnel. At least one migrant, a Sudanese man in his 20s, died – crushed under the wheels of a truck.

The hole in the fence close to the small village of Frethun is clearly well used. There is evidence that it has been repaired a number of times with wire and clips and a beaten path shows the way. But no sooner do security guards close it up, it is ripped open by the wandering gangs.

Each night migrants walk, hitchhike and even cycle from their camps in Calais to the port, or to the Tunnel entrance, where they try to board lorries on trains.

Extra riot police were drafted in to Calais yesterday, but officers said they were fighting a losing battle.

A group of migrants brazenly walk on the railway, bypassing an old carriage, as they make their final bid for freedom into the UK

Eurotunnel revealed it had now blocked more than 37,000 such attempts by migrants (some pictured making their way along train tracks near Calais) since January

A second man is believed to have suffered horrifying burns after being electrocuted as tried to get on to the roof of a London-bound Eurostar train at the Gare du Nord in Paris. Pictured, migrants walk along a railway track in Calais

There have now been eleven deaths in less than two months, as increasingly desperate migrants (some pictured in Coquelles) take more risks to get to Britain

British lorry driver Les Muffett, 56, from Witham, Essex, told how he saw a group of migrants waiting to storm the Channel Tunnel when he arrived in France.

'They were walking around like passengers. It was crazy. It's the first time I've seen that. It's scary because we don't know what will happen. A friend of mine was sitting in the queue and they cut his lorry open and got in. You can't confront them. They carry knives. All you can do is stay in the lorry, lock the cab up and let them get on with it.'

The death of the Sudanese man takes the grim total to 11 in less than two months. Most have been killed after climbing on the top of trains, walking along busy motorways, or falling into water.

More than 5,000 migrants are thought to be living in desperate conditions in camps in Calais. They live in tents and shacks on a 40-acre stretch of industrial wasteland three miles from Calais port.

State authorities pushed them away from the city to the wasteland, seen as a 'tolerated zone', and it has grown considerably in recent weeks. Some of the better houses have heavy-duty locks and chains on the doors. Others are simply sticks covered in tarpaulin.

Despite the grim conditions, many have tried to brighten their temporary homes with flower displays, pictures, mirrors and paintings.

There are several mosques, and a church is being built. There are also shops selling sweets, drinks, snacks and cleaning products. Those who are not trying their luck getting to Britain sit around playing cards or football.

A migrant helps another man through the small gap in the fence in the hope they will be able to cross over into Britain for asylum

There are currently some 5,000 illegal migrants in the French port and they seem to be using any opportunity they can to get to the UK

Eurotunnel said that since the arrival of migrants in the area around Calais, it has in physical resources - fences, cameras, infra-red detectors - and personnel

One Afghan migrant has even opened a café. The man, who would not be named, was living in the UK but decided to travel to the French camp, he told the BBC.

He speaks seven languages and has lived in Norway, Italy and the UK. 'Now I want to stay here, because of the restaurant', he said.

The man said the camp's residents were 'people, humans – not animals' and proudly displayed anti-racism messages outside his café.

Last night, residents of the camp pledged to continue their efforts to reach the UK. 'We are determined to get to England, nothing will stop us,' said Gez Ariam, a 19-year-old Eritrean. 'We've travelled thousands of miles – this last stretch of sea won't stand in our way.

'The journey to Britain can be a dangerous one, but it is our only hope. We want new lives in a good country that cares about people like us. Our route across the sea is either on ferries, or via the Tunnel trains. These are our options, and we have to take them.'

Mo Farouk, another resident said: 'The security can be hard to deal with, but we are brave and not scared of the risks.' He said he paid £2,000 in cash for a passage from his home in Eritrea, through Libya and Italy, and then on to France.

'England is where I want to be, and that's where I'll claim asylum,' said Farouk, adding: 'If I am sent back to my own country, I will be killed.' Christian Salome, president of L'Auberge des Migrants, a group that provides food and other supplies in the camp, said getting to the UK was 'just a matter of time'.

'All of them get there in the end,' he said. 'No fence is too difficult – in the end, borders are there to be crossed.'

Businesses of all sizes in Kent have united to call for the issue to be dealt with quickly as they struggle to receive supplies and welcome visitors following Operation Stack (pictured, lorries queued on the M20)