Thousands of people from Africa, Asia and the Middle East are gathered around the port of Calais - hoping to find a way to cross the channel to start a new life in the UK.

These pictures were all taken during a single day in Calais.

These migrants are risking their lives, causing travel chaos, and leaving British and French authorities scrambling to find a solution to the chaos.

The migrants mostly come from Syria, Eritrea, Somalia and Afghanistan. These are countries where civil wars rage or where human rights are poor.

The mostly young men and women live in a makeshift camp of tents close to Calais. It's nicknamed "The Jungle". Some stay there for months waiting to reach the UK.

One man living in "The Jungle" says: "Everything is dirty, we sleep on the floor, it's cold. It's a very hard life."

Each day groups of migrants walk to the Channel Tunnel terminal, hoping to stow away on a truck heading to Britain.

More than 18,000 migrants have been arrested around Calais this year.

However, the French police say there are too many migrants to arrest and to deal with properly. Some are just freed and try again to reach the UK.

Officers say their priority is to keep the roads clear and prevent traffic accidents.

More police officers are being sent to Calais. The UK will send extra sniffer dogs and fencing.

Some migrants dodge the authorities and reach the high fences surrounding the port - which are topped with razor wire.

Groups of migrants have climbed over the barriers, others cut holes in the wire. Injuries from these attempts are said to be increasing.

Once inside the fence, migrants follow the rail tracks. Several have been hit by speeding trains. Nine people have died in recent weeks.

Nearly £10m has been spent on security at the tunnel entrance in 2015 - including cameras, infra-red detectors and more guards. It's said 37,000 attempts to cross to the UK have been prevented.

Some migrants take huge risks, hiding inside or underneath UK-bound trucks. Others cling to lorry roofs.

It's reported that as many as 150 migrants do manage to travel undetected all the way to Britain each night. These men have reached Folkestone.

The migrant break-ins have caused repeated delays and cancellations to Channel Tunnel services. On this side of the Channel this has caused a backlog of vehicles waiting to use the tunnel. The M20 in Kent's been turned into a giant lorry park.

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