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GO SLOW PROTEST

Tourists face horrendous delays as lorry drivers plan slow rolling protests against Calais Jungle camp

French officials have pledged to dismantle the camp by next month as migrants resort to increasingly desperate measures

Calais

HOLIDAYMAKERS returning home to Britain tomorrow face huge delays as lorry drivers plan to stage a go slow protest against the Calais Jungle camp.

The action is likely to cause huge tailbacks for thousands returning home from Europe after summer.

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Trucks line up on the M20 during Operation Stack last year after migrant activity in Calais, France caused further delays to people wanting to cross the English ChannelCredit: Getty Images
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A surge in migrants trying reach Britain has led to a go slow protest against the Calais Jungle campCredit: Getty Images

Lorry drivers will be joined by shopkeepers, residents and farmers in calling for the northern section of the sprawling camp at the French port to be demolished.

The area has grown in recent months and pressure has been growing on French officials to deal with the problem.

Attacks on British and French lorry drivers approaching the port have also soared as migrants increasingly resort to desperate and hostile measures to reach the UK.

Drivers are often threatened and t reports how gangs regularly place blockades on roads to force lorries to slow down so they can try to jump on board.

More than 9,000 migrants from countries including Afghanistan, Syria and Sudan live in the infamous Jungle.

There have been efforts to reduce the numbers by breaking up the southern section but the camp still grows.

French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve met British and French truckers and business leaders on Friday in negotiations which saw the protest downgraded from a full blockade.

Richard Burnett, chief executive of the Road Haulage Association (RHA), told the Mail Online: “It is inevitable that even this lesser course of action will still cause disruption to port traffic, and we would advise hauliers to take alternative routes if possible.”

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Migrants in the Calais jungle have become increasingly desperate to get into BritainCredit: Getty Images
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Hauliers are calling for northern section of Jungle camp to be demolishedCredit: Getty Images

The RHA say French authorities have pledged to dismantle the camp by next month and deploy an additional 1,000 security staff in the area.

We reported yesterday how two new camps will be set up in Paris, as well as centres in Marseille, Lyon – and the Channel port of Cherbourg.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve made the announcement hours after the camp was rocked by fresh violence.

Two Afghan men aged 22 and 24 were injured as they battled for a prime spot to sneak aboard trucks bound for Britain.

Gangs of masked youths had lit fires, to slow down traffic to boost their chances of sneaking on to British-bound vehicles.

Inhabitants vowed they would not be put off trying to make it to Britain.

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French authorities have pledged to dismantle the camp by next monthCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

A road in the camp has even been named Theresa May Street in honour of the leader of the country they are determined to come to.

Samir, 26, from Afghanistan, said: “Every night I try to get on a truck. I’ve been close but I have been found at the checks.

“It is possible to get through because many of my friends are now in London. They did the same as me. They hid on a truck and got through.

“It’s all about luck. One day I will be lucky.”


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