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The plan is to bulldoze a third of the notorious Jungle camp in Calais, France, on Thursday

'Community leaders' in the Jungle released a statement 'respectfully declining' the local government's orders


France has given protesting Calais refugees two days before bulldozing a third of the notorious Jungle camp, after 1,500 refuse to move into new government-built housing.

Jungle residents reject the new £20million camp, designed to accommodate 1,500 refugees in powered and heated converted shipping containers, complaining that it looks like 'a prison'.

However, French police today served the protesting refugees with eviction orders, telling them they have until Wednesday night to vacate their tents before bulldozers level the camp on Thursday.

A migrant walks among the tents and huts of the makeshift camp called 'The Jungle' next to the fenced area made of containers recycled in rooms to host some 1,500 migrants in Calais

Some 125 metal transport containers have been converted into heated homes, complete with power sockets, heated towel rails, toilets and washing facilities for up to 1,500 people

A worker walks past converted containers, complete with power sockets, heated towel rails, toilets and washing facilities

A man and his son arrive at their new home - a room in a converted shipping container - but many refugees have refused to move in

Despite the much improved living conditions in the new camp, Jungle residents have refused to move, claiming to want to stay put in their makeshift tents.

'Community leaders', in the Jungle released a statement earlier today, 'respectfully declining' the local government's orders to vacate a third of the camp.

'We, the united people of the Jungle, Calais, respectfully decline the demands of the French government with regards to reducing the size of the jungle.

'We have decided to remain where we are and will peacefully resist the government's plans to destroy our homes.

'We plead with the French authorities and the international communities that you understand our situation and respect our fundamental human rights.'

Despite living conditions as seen in this image from last week, Jungle residents are refusing to move into the new homes

Refugees and migrants living in a third of the camp have until Wednesday night to vacate their tents before bulldozers destroy the camp on Thursday

Migrants walk over the muddy ground between made up restaurants and small shops in the makeshift camp called The Jungle

A refugee walks past a giant puddle in the makeshift camp called The Jungle next to the containers which have been turned into housing

According to volunteers working in the Jungle, residents are reluctant to move into the new camp because 'it looks like a detention centre'.

The new camp consists of metal transport containers which have been converted into heated homes, complete with power sockets, heated towel rails, toilets and washing facilities,

Yesterday, charity workers complained at the constrained time scale they had been given by French authorities to move more than 1,500 people into the new £20million camp.

'We had been given a Wednesday deadline, although this timeframe is now less certain, to move and relocate approximately 2,000 refugees, including over 300 women and 60 kids,' charity HelpRefugees UK wrote in a statement on Monday.

'We are doing our utmost to ensure the safe movement of the refugees. A particular concern is the large number of women and children.

'The refugees are not rejecting the new container camp. The new container camp can only accept a maximum of 55 new people per day and this is far below the numbers required. In the interim, refugees face what shelter they have being destroyed.'

The Jungle camp was never properly planned and there is inadequate drainage, so heavy rainfall has turned large parts of it into a swamp

A migrant pushes his bike among the tents and huts of the makeshift camp called The Jungle close to the new government-built housing

The state has converted dozens of the metal transport containers into homes for 1,500 people that have been living in tents amid the mud

The group added that they feared they would only be able to move some 200 of the people living in the area which will be destroyed come Thursday.

In the wake of the refugees' refusal to move, HelpRefugees has now said that they will respect the wishes of the Jungle community, while assisting those who are still willing to move.

The new facilities are located in the heart of the Jungle camp, which has ballooned in recent months and has evolved into a slum with shops, mosques and a church between the tarps and tents.

Up to 6,000 people were reportedly staying there in the months leading up to Christmas, though the number has decreased recently.