French and British governments step up security at Calais

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said that France would be stepping up the number of police staff at Calais in order to “contribute to the security of the site”.

He is sending an extra 120 officers to the tunnel this evening after a migrant, believed to be a Sudanese national, was crushed under a truck while attempting to reach the UK last night.

The man, thought to be aged between 20 and 35, has become the ninth person to die while trying to cross the Channel since June.

Eurotunnel said that on Monday night 2,000 people attempted to storm the tunnel and a further 1,500 tried to cross the Channel last night.

British and French governments have now pledged to increase security at the Eurotunnel as desperate migrants continue to put their lives at risk in order to reach British soil.

Eurotunnel spokesman John Keefe, said that many migrants attempting to storm the Eurotunnel in Calais are making the journey from their camps on foot, before waiting for darkness to break through fences.

Home Secretary Theresa May held an emergency Cobra committee meeting this morning to address the crisis and confessed that “a number of people” have been successful in crossing the border.

Mrs May, who has pledged £7million to tackle the migrant crisis, said French and British governments need to work with Eurotunnel to come up with a solution.

She said: “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.

“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.”

Speaking at a press conference Mr Cazeneuve 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.”

However, a spokesman for Groupe Eurotunnel, which runs the Channel Tunnel, said that they have pumped “considerable investment” to help ease the migrant crisis but they are under “continuous pressure” as hundreds attempt to reach the UK every day.

“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.”

Groupe Eurotunnel also said that it invested more than £113 million into fencing, cameras, infa-red detectors and personnel.

“These considerable investments have already been followed in the second half of the year with new fencing around the platforms.”

The migrant crisis has dramatically escalated over the last few months as thousands of refugees largely from Africa and the Middle East attempt to reach the UK in search of a better life.